My Princess
by Dreaming-Paradise
Summary: "Just know, I will be the best teammate you'll ever have." She failed. She'd broken her promise. Why did fate take her away from her now? Weiss needed her; Ruby had promised she'd be right by her side when they returned to Atlas so Weiss could complete her training as the heiress and take over the company. Now she was alone. . .
1. Prologue

**This is the first fanfic I've written for canon characters in years, so I apologize for anything that's out of place. (Also, this is an AU where Beacon never fell.)**

* * *

It wasn't supposed to turn out like this. . .

_"Miss Schnee, Miss Rose."_

_She remembered walking into the bedroom she shared with her fiancee and hearing a familiar voice coming from Ruby's scroll. Somebody had left a voicemail. _ _"It appears that Blake and Yang's mission was more than they had expected it to be, and are unable to complete their next mission. There is a nest of Death Stalkers forming dangerously close to a small town just outside of Mistral. It needs to be taken care of as soon as possible. Let me know if you're able to take this mission when you receive this message."_

They should have declined, they already had their hands full as it was. With the wedding coming up, Weiss getting ready to take over her family's company, and all of Ruby's 'mini-missions' as she called them. She regretted not having the heart to say no to the bubbly girl she'd called the love of her life.

_"Was that Ozpin?" Her attention shifted from the scroll as it switched off and towards Ruby, her light blue eyes met with a curious silver. Since their graduation from Beacon Academy, the younger girl had grown considerably taller. She was more mature than she was when she was a student and it showed. She kept her black and red hair short, but allowed it to grow down to her shoulders. Although she'd matured, she was still Ruby, her energetic and fun-loving personality had never changed despite walking through hell. _

_"Yeah," Weiss had replied quietly, "he wants to know if we can take Yang and Blake's next mission." Immediately, Ruby's silver eyes lit up and Weiss remembered knowing exactly what was going through her partner's mind. "Ruby, no, we have enough to deal with as it is." _

_Ruby had already crossed the room and picked up her scroll, "Oh come on! It's just a small nest, nothing we can't handle! Besides, this could be our last mission together before the wedding."_

Little did Weiss know, it was their last mission together before the wedding.

_Before Weiss could respond, Ruby was standing in front of her again and she had to tilt her head back slightly to meet her gaze. Ruby's silver eyes were big and pleading, almost resembling the face of a begging puppy. Ruby took Weiss' arms, "Pleeaasee? When you take over the SDC, we won't get to go on any missions! I'll hardly get to see you!" _

_"I suppose we could wait to plan the wedding. . . We do have a few months." _Weiss' resistance was broken the second she'd looked up into those gleaming silver orbs._ She frowned, "But when we get back, we're going to start planning it right away!"_

_"You've got a deal, my Princess."_

The memories faded as reality slowly returned to the young heiress, reminding her that she was on her way back to Atlas. Yang and Blake sat to her right, the cat faunus was leaned up against her partner with her amber eyes closed, her breathing steady. She was asleep. Yang was staring off into space, her mind most likely swarmed with thoughts concerning her little sister as well. Ruby's death had struck Yang the hardest, the bubbly red-clad huntress had been all Yang had left aside from Blake. She and Yang both had clung to the hope that their leader was still alive somewhere, waiting to be found, but there was no trace of her.

Weiss had heard the story of Summer's death too many times to count, it had destroyed Yang to know her baby sister had vanished off the face of the Earth just as their mother did. Their silver eyes were the cause of their downfall, if she understood correctly. Silver-Eyed Warriors were always destined to lead shorter lives than a normal hunter, the Grimm actively sought them out.

Weiss' heart clenched and her eyes stung with unshed tears. She'd promised Yang she'd protect Ruby, that she would bring her back home alive. She'd failed, and had returned without Ruby by her side. Weiss remembered the look of anger and betrayal plastered across her teammate's face when she'd handed a blood-stained red cloak to her. Her lilac gaze had turned blood red and Yang's Ember Celica had come mere inches away from her face before Blake stepped in to calm the brawler down.

A flash of red crossed the heiress' mind.

_"The nest doesn't seem to be very big," Ruby whispered, peering over the edge of the cliff to get a good look at the Death Stalkers below them, "we could probably take it out within two or three short hours." They'd been dropped off a little ways away from the nest, and it'd taken them ten or fifteen minutes to find it. "Then we can get some cookies afterwards!"_

_Weiss glanced at her beaming fiancee and rolled her eyes, "Aren't you supposed to be coming up with some sort of plan? Or are you just going to wing it?" Ruby didn't respond, as she was examining the nest and mentally working out a strategy to clear it out as quick as possible. Finally, she turned to Weiss, "What's the plan, Ruby?" The heiress asked with a small smile, recognizing the look of determination on Ruby's face._

_"There are a few smaller ones that have strayed away from the nest, we'll take care of those first before targeting the nest itself." Weiss nodded her approval and the pair slowly moved away from the Death Stalkers, making as little noise as possible. Irritation pricked her at Ruby's next words, "Don't worry, Princess, I'll make sure to leave some for you."_

_"Are you implying I'm out of practice?!" Weiss hissed in response, some of the irritation melted away when Ruby flashed her a toothy grin, "It's not my fault I'm rusty! I'm about to become the CEO of-"_

_Ruby cut her off before she could finish, "-the Schnee Dust Company. I know, I'm just teasing. You're too easy!" She didn't give the heiress time to reply as she charged at the first Death Stalker her silver eyes landed on. The sound of Crescent Rose springing to life echoed through the forest._

_The first few Death Stalkers were taken down with little to no difficulty, but Weiss was already beginning to grow tired and her body was starting to ache. __She hated to admit it, but she really was out of practice. "How many are at the nest?" She turned to face her partner when she was met with silence. The smoke from the decaying Grimm was the only thing left in the clearing, Ruby was nowhere to be found. She must've went on without her. _

She shouldn't have let her out of her sight, but who could keep up Ruby Rose? Weiss felt guilt tear away at her heart, remembering the panic that had settled in when she realized she couldn't hear the sound of Ruby's weapon.

_The nest had been empty by the time she'd gotten to it, save for the remains of a few Death Stalkers."Ruby?" She called out as she cautiously entered the clearing, preparing herself for a possible ambush. It was only then she noticed a path of fallen trees leading away from the deserted nest. In the distance, she could vaguely hear the sound of bullets being shot and the rumbling of Death Stalkers. Something tore at her chest and her heart started beating faster as fear crept in. Something wasn't right. Ruby was in trouble, Weiss had to get to her. Quick._

_Her heart stopped and everything fell silent when she heard the sound of a blood-curling scream erupted into the air. "RUBY!" She followed the scream as quickly as she could, using her glyphs to assist in closing the distance between her and her partner. Something was gnawing at her heart, something that wasn't the fear fueling the adrenaline she was running off of. Why couldn't she sense Ruby's aura? Why couldn't she hear anything?_

_She was almost out of breath by the time she'd reached the cliff. Where was Ruby? She didn't see her anywhere. . ._

_"Ruby?" She called again, expecting to hear her fiancee's cheerful voice alerting her that she was okay. She was met with silence. Weiss was about to call for her again when a certain red cloak and scythe caught her attention, tears stung at the edges of her eyes. She shook her head, she couldn't be gone! "Ruby!"_

"Weiss!"

Her light blue eyes snapped open, meeting a concerned pair of golden. It took her a moment to fully recognize the woman kneeling in front of her. "We're here," Blake informed her as Weiss slowly returned to reality again, "Yang and I are going to get some food when we land, will you be alright until we get back?" Weiss nodded.

"Who cares if she'll be alright or not?" Yang grumbled from the door, waiting for it to open so she could leave Weiss' presence as soon as she could. Blake's ears flattened against her head and Weiss could see her forcing her bubbling irritation down. "Of course she'll be alright, she got _Ruby Rose _killed."

It felt like an arrow was shot right through Weiss' heart, she was unable to stop the tear that ran down her cheek. "Yang," she whispered, her voice full of pain, "I said I was sorry. I looked for her, I called for her. I would gladly taken her place if I had the choice." Cold lilac eyes turned to her as the airship came to a stop, the doors opened and an uneasy feeling washed over the heiress.

"Yeah," Yang whispered back, voice dripping with venom, "it should've been you. Not my little sister."

"Yang!" Blake recoiled instantly. The bickering fell silent on Weiss' ears as she silently exited the airship.

_She's not wrong. . ._


	2. Missing Pieces

[Weiss]

_"Hey Ice Queen!" Weiss' attention snapped up from her studies as Yang barged into their dorm room with a wide smile on her face, which almost looked like a smirk. "Come with me! There's something I need to show you."_

_"Can it wait?" Weiss asked, her voice laced with irritation, "Finals are just around the corner and I need to be prepared." She'd accepted long ago that her teammate didn't take her studies as seriously as she should, but Yang couldn't possibly just wing the finals, could she? Weiss hadn't seen her study at all during the last few days._

_Yang rolled her eyes. "That's over a week away, you'll be fine." When Weiss went to protest, the blonde simply flipped her book shut and effortlessly pulled her chair away from the table. "We're about to graduate and you're going to spend the last month we have at Beacon studying?"_

_"Yes! Unlike some people, I take my studies seriously!" Weiss snapped back, still glued to her chair. She knew if she made an attempt to move back to her desk, Yang would only grab her again. "It's how I've stayed at the top of the class all throughout the semester."_

_The brawler silently mocked the heiress before starting for the door, "Allow me to be more clear: Ruby has something she wants to show you. She sent me to drag you out of this stuffy room." They all had grown older, so their dorm room had become quite small for the four of them._

_At the mention of her girlfriend, Weiss immediately stood from her chair. "Alright, lead the way." She tried to sound annoyed by the fact that her study session had been interrupted, but she couldn't prevent the curiosity from slipping into her voice._

_Yang smirked, giving a mock bow as the white-haired girl passed, "After you, m'lady." Weiss scoffed as her friend closed the door and returned to her side, "She's got you wrapped around her finger."_

_"Oh, so Blake doesn't have you whipped?" Weiss raised a brow and a victorious smile crossed her lips when Yang's face turned as her sister's cloak, "I vividly remember you going all the way across Vale just to buy her a can of her favorite tuna." She watched as Yang stuttered and stumbled over her words, trying to form a coherent sentence._

_"H-hey! They were out in the other stores! B-besides, it couldn't be just any can!" Yang turned away from her friend, her face still burning. "This is not about me and Blake, this is about you and my sister." At first, Yang hadn't been too accepting about her and Ruby's relationship, as she feared Weiss would break her heart. Weiss had been pleasantly surprised to find out that Yang had helped Ruby plan their first date, but she knew the blonde would do anything to make her little sister happy._

_A few minutes of silence passed between the two as Yang led her outside of the building and towards the city. Confusion washed over her, where was Ruby? "Hey, Yang? You said Ruby had something she wanted to show me?" Weiss asks as suspicion replaced the confusion she was feeling. Yang turned towards her with an unreadable glint in her eyes._

_"Oh she does. Tonight. I brought you out here so we could spend some one on one time together." Yang spun back around and retrieved her wallet from her pockets, "I was hoping we could eat at that new restaurant downtown? The one Pyrrha mentioned last week? She said it was pretty good."_

_"I guess I could," Weiss mused, following closely behind her teammate. "It would be nice to get to know each other better."_

_The two entered the newly opened restaurant and the waiter led them to their table, a small two-person table off to the side. Once they sat down, Weiss took a moment to examine the restaurant. It wasn't as fancy as she was used to, but she supposed it was alright. It wasn't too bad. She caught a few suspicious glances out of the corner of her eye and she frowned, "Don't you think people might get the wrong idea? We are alone. . ." Yang's eyes darted up to her from the menu and she quickly looked around. As a smirk came to the brawler's face, an uneasy feeling settled in Weiss' stomach._

_Yang cupped her hands and realization dawned on Weiss a moment too late when the blonde suddenly shouted at the top of her lungs that they were not on a date. Embarrassment struck her like a truck as silence fell over them like a blanket and every head in the room turned to them. "This is will be the last time I ever go out into public with you, Yang Xiao Long." She whispered under her breath. The waiter returned to their table and took their orders, retrieving the menus from them and walking away towards the kitchen._

_Suddenly, a plate was set in front of her and Weiss turned to the woman who'd set it there without paying attention to the contents. "Ma'am, I didn't order this." There was no way their food would arrive that quickly._

_"Oh I know, but the girl over there said you would like it." The young waiter gestured to the back of the room, but frowned when she found that the area was vacant. The look of confusion quickly faded from the woman's face as she turned back to Weiss, "It's already paid for. If you'd like, I can fetch a to-go box."_

_Weiss finally looked down at the plate in front of her and her brows raised. A slice of red velvet cake sat there, perfectly cut out and practically calling her name. Peering closer, she could make out the shape of a heart etched into the icing. It almost looked familiar. . . "Looks like somebody's got a crush on the Ice Queen!" Yang laughed, drawing Weiss' full attention again. "We'll take a to-go box." The lady walked off._

_"I hope they're not too infatuated." Weiss muttered under her breath as she nudged the cake to the side, "I have Ruby."_

_Yang's smirk didn't go unnoticed by the heiress, "What is it?" Weiss asked suspiciously, "You're hiding something, I can feel it." Yang just shrugged and took a sip of her tea that had just been delivered to their table, she thanked the waiter as they left to fetch their food. "Aren't you going to eat that?" The blonde asked, gesturing to the cake sitting off to the side of them._

_"I will later." Weiss replied bluntly, meeting Yang's eyes again. Her friend's happy lilac eyes had turned to a burning red and the frown on her face was practically screaming murder. Fear traveled up her spine, "Yang?" She whispered meekly, fearing she had somehow upset the blonde._

_"Yang!"_  
_Blake?_

**[Present Time]**

Weiss was reeled back towards reality once again to find Yang's angry red eyes screaming redrum. Blake was standing almost between them, fending her girlfriend off from Weiss. What had she done this time? Weiss glanced downwards, putting the pieces together when she seen a tattered red cloak held close to her chest. She'd given it to Yang. . . That's why the brawler was so pissed off. How did she even get her hands on it again? She could feel her heart starting to ache when the faint smell of roses filled her senses.

"Give. It. Back." Yang's murderous voice caused her to jump slightly and she hesitantly handed the cloak back to Yang, who snatched it without hesitation. "Don't ever touch it again! Don't even look at it!" A part of her wanted to stand up to the grieving woman, she wanted to tell her off and prove to her that she had tried to find Ruby.

"You know," Weiss spoke before she could comprehend what she was doing, "you're not the only one grieving." Blake's eyes turned to her and she knew she was treading on thin ice judging by the look the faunus shot her. They'd found a hotel to stay in while they were in Atlas, Blake having convinced Yang to accompany them while Weiss prepared to take over the company in a few weeks. Sure, they could stay in the Schnee Manor, but Weiss wasn't about to deal with her father.

Yang's cool lilac eyes turned back to Weiss again, this time they were glistening with unshed tears. "I might as well be. You got over it pretty quickly. . ." The blonde started for the door, leaving the food they'd brought back waiting on the table, "I'm going for a walk." Without another word, Yang exited the hotel room and shut the door behind her.

Silence filled the room for a brief moment before Blake broke it, clutching her right arm as her ears drooped. "It's just the grief talking, don't listen to anything she's saying. She's not in control of herself right now."

"I know." Weiss replied quietly as another awkward silence washed over them, "How. . . How did I end up with the cloak?" She knew if her partner's name left her lips, she would lose her composure and break down. She had to remain calm and in control at all times.

Blake's golden eyes met her icy blue ones, "It fell out of her pocket." The faunus informed her, "You reached to hand it back to her, but I guess you kind of zoned out."

"Oh."

* * *

Her entire body felt like at least a dozen Ursai had trampled her. She could barely move without searing pain traveling through her body and bringing tears to her eyes, her left side was almost immobile and her chest felt as though she'd been crushed under a mountain. But she was alive. . . The last thing she remembered was fighting off a nest of Deathstalkers, only to attract an Alpha Beowulf. Her aura had already been depleted and her energy was spent. All she remembered after the wolf's arrival was reaching for her weapon attached to her back.

The sound of an airship's engine whirring caused her to open her eyes and she forced herself to sit up, biting down on her tongue as an attempt to swallow the scream of pain bubbling up inside. Her silver eyes glanced down to examine herself and she winced at the smallest movement she made. Her aura was still trying to recharge and heal the wounds littering her body. How long had she been out? Where was she? She quickly looked up and around her, taking in her surroundings. Apparently she'd wiggled her way into a small cave on the side of the mountain judging by the fading light shining in from the cave's entrance.

Crawling her way towards the light and ignoring the throbbing pain coursing through-out her body, she managed to squeeze herself out of the cave just in time to catch a glimpse of a vaguely familiar pink and green airship sailing away into the clouds. A cold wave of realization washed over her.

Where was Weiss?

[A few hours later]

"Hey, hey Miss!"

Ruby vaguely heard the sound of a woman's voice quickly growing closer and she was snapped out of her thoughts. She refocused her vision and glanced up to see a young lady coming her way, waving her hand to get her attention. "You're one of the huntresses who cleared out the Grimm nest, right?" Ruby only nodded, ignoring the pain she was feeling in her back. It was definitely bruised, she wouldn't be surprised if her entire back was black and blue.

"Your friend left before we could pay her," Ruby perked up slightly at the mention of her partner and relief washed over her, Weiss was alive, "here, take this, please." The lady handed her a small bag of coins, "It's all I've got right now, I'm sorry if it isn't much."

Silver eyes stared down at the brown bag for a split moment before the huntress shook her head, "Is there a hotel somewhere close by? A place to get food?" She asked and the woman nodded, briefly giving her the directions. "Thank you. Keep the lien for yourself, you'll need it more than I do. Food and shelter will do just fine as payment."

Paying no attention to the worried look the woman gave her, Ruby started down the street again. She couldn't wait to collapse on a comfortable bed and rest her aching joints. A thought crossed her mind.

Feeling the lady's eyes on her again, she stopped in her tracks and turned to face her. "You said my partner left," she whispered, worry evident in her voice, "did you see where the ship was heading?" The woman nodded and Ruby's full interest turned to the young lady, "Would you mind telling me?" From there, she would know where to find Weiss.

[Later]

She looked like a mess.

Having finally arrived at the hotel and gotten a room, she'd removed her combat outfit to determine the extent of her injuries. Just as she'd predicted, her back was covered in nasty bruises and small cuts she'd sustained from the fall. There was a deep cut across her cheek covered in dried blood and dirt. Many other small cuts and scratches littered her body, but her aura was working on healing them already while slowly recharging. A good night's rest would help a lot.

The bruises were mostly located around her upper body, such as her shoulders and a dark one right at her hip, which was probably broken. Ruby would have to have that looked at as soon as she could. But for now... A warm, relaxing bath was calling her name.


	3. Unexpected Encounter

Early that morning, Ruby had sought out the woman trying to give her money yesterday. She was reluctant to take it when she found the lady, but she only accepted it so she would be able to purchase a weapon to hold her over until she could build herself a new scythe. After escaping the cave, she'd searched for Crescent Rose, but the scythe was nowhere to be found. Maybe she could find a map or something to help her get back home.

"Would you happen to know if there's a weapon shop in town?" Ruby asked, tucking the change away in her pocket after counting the coins. "I lost my weapon and I need a replacement until I'm able to build a new one." The woman's green eyes met her silver pair and the lady nodded.

"There's one down the road from here! It was just recently built, but I can't remember the name of it for the life of me." The woman chuckled and shook her head, "The owner of the store has a strange sense of humor, though. Don't be alarmed if he suddenly pulls a joke on ya."

Ruby smiled in response, "My father and sister are known for terrible puns, this guy would be nothing compared to the two of them." She reached to pull her hood up on instinct, only to find that her shoulders were bare. She'd have to get used to that, her cloak did get in the way a lot. . . "Thank you for the money!" She waved and turned to leave the house.

"Wait!" She glanced back at the young lady. Concern and worry was evident her voice, "Are you positive you don't want those injuries looked at? My husband is a doctor, he could examine them for you! They look rather serious."

They did hurt. . . Ruby was momentarily conflicted, she knew her aura wouldn't heal everything and that she could have a broken bone somewhere or some major bruising. She'd had a concussion earlier yesterday, but it had already faded for the most part. The huntress sighed and turned to reject the offer, "No thank you. You're kind, but I have to get home as quick as I can. My partner is probably worried out of her mind."

"If you're sure," the lady sighed, "good luck! Thank you for clearing out the nest for us." The concern never left her tone. Ruby nodded and stepped off the porch, starting in the direction the woman had pointed her in. Ten minutes later, she found herself standing in front of a recently built weapon store. She couldn't exactly read the name of the building as her vision was still going in and out (she should've taken the lady up on her offer, it seems her concussion wasn't as gone as she thought it was), but she could tell that it was some kind of gun pun.

She pushed the door open, rubbing her forehead in irritation when a bell rang right next to her. She faintly heard a woman calling out that somebody was in the store and footsteps approached the front. Ruby glanced around the store, seeing several weapons on display and parts on sale. There was a section designed specifically for dangerous ammunition and a few rows of dust. Before she could get a good look at the store, a voice drew her attention back to the desk in the center of the room.

"Welcome to-" A blonde man glanced up from over the box he was carrying and his blue eyes widened, "Ruby!"

Ruby gave a soft smile, "Hey Dad," she whispered as he came around the desk to hug her, "what are you doing here in Mistral?"

"I sent letters out to you and your sister a few days ago, I decided to move in with my girlfriend after I retired from Signal." Tai replied, releasing Ruby and gesturing for her to follow him, he chuckled at the confused expression on his daughter's face, "I'll explain everything in a minute. Come on! Holly'll be thrilled to meet you!"

Ruby shut the door behind her and very awkwardly followed her father to the back room, where a mini living room/kitchen was set up. It was probably where they hung out until customers stopped by. "Hey Holly! I have someone for you to meet!" Tai called excitedly, causing Ruby's forehead to begin throbbing again.

"Be there in just a minute!" A voice called back. Ruby suddenly felt unwelcome in the building, she wasn't sure if she'd be comfortable meeting her father's girlfriend so soon. Had he forgotten her mother? Ruby's eyes glanced towards Tai momentarily and she sighed. He did seem happier than she'd ever seen him before. He'd finally moved on and found happiness again. Ruby's attention moved back down to the hall as a woman with greying black hair came around the corner with a oil-covered washcloth in hand.

Seems you have a thing for black hair, Dad. Ruby thought, offering the woman a warm smile. "Oh, is this your daughter?" The woman, named Holly, asked after returning the smile. Tai nodded and introduced the two women. "Strange, she doesn't seem to look like you like the other one does. Are you adopted?"

"I look like my mother," Ruby answered quickly, "I've been asked that a lot." She extended her hand, grunting when a sharp pain traveled from her wrist and up to her shoulder. She hoped they didn't notice, but she could feel them eyeing her injuries. It's not like they weren't that hard to notice. Holly hummed before setting her washcloth aside to examine her bruised arm. She had a mother-like protectiveness to her, that was for sure.

"Ruby," Tai spoke sternly, "what happened? How long have those wounds been there?"

Holly cut her off before she could reply, "Before you answer that, you need to sit down and rest. These injuries look serious and your eyes are unfocused." Shit, she could tell? "Honestly, how long have you gone without medical treatment? Look at this!"

Ruby allowed a small smile to come to her lips, accepting the familiar scolding she replied to the raven-haired woman. "Alright, I'll have them looked at," she agreed, "but I can't stay for too long." When Holly went to protest, Ruby held up her hand to stop her. "I have somebody waiting on me, she's probably worried out of her mind thinking I'm dead at this point." The young woman glanced in Tai's direction, "I'll stay and have my injuries looked at if I'm allowed to build a spare weapon to get me back home."

"You mean you lost Crescent Rose?" Tai asked with the shadow of amusement crossing his features, Ruby frowned in response and he waved his hands, "You know you're more than welcome to. Just don't take any parts off of the weapons on display. You can use the ones in the back."

Holly hummed and released Ruby's arm, "Go sit down, I'll call Rusty and see if he can come by tonight." Ruby made her way to the comfortable looking couch that was practically begging her to come and relax. You didn't need to tell her twice. . .

"I'm not a medical expert, but you shouldn't try to sleep if you have a concussion." Holly informed her and Ruby hummed her acknowledgement; so that's why she was unable to rest last night. She should've known that.

"Thank you, and I apologize for the trouble I've caused you." Ruby whispered, but Holly waved her off and said that she was no trouble at all. The older woman left the room when the bell chimed, signalling that somebody had entered.

Tai took a seat on the couch across from her as Ruby made herself comfortable, relaxing her tense and bruised muscles. Any second now, Tai would ask her what happened. "So," and there it was, "are you going to tell me what caused these injuries and why you need a new weapon?" Ruby sighed in exasperation, knowing she'd be coerced into revealing the incident anyway. She met her father's blue eyes.

"Yang and Blake were unable to take on their next mission, so Ozpin called Weiss and I up and asked us to take it on. Our mission was to clear out the Deathstalker nest that was coming dangerously close to your little village; Weiss didn't want to take it at first, but I convinced her to come along with me since it would've been our last mission before the wedding. She wouldn't be able to attend very many missions once she takes over the company, either. Well, I suggested we minimize the amount of Grimm we were to kill by taking out the ones furthest from the nest. . ."

Ruby closed her silver eyes, "When I was delivering the final blow to one of them, I noticed the rest of the nest charging towards us. Weiss was a bit rusty considering she hasn't sparred or trained in a while, and I panicked. . . I knew Weiss wouldn't be able to take them all on and wouldn't have time to summon her Knight, so I decided I would distract some of them and I started towards the cliffs. I ended up leading the whole group towards me, though. My aura was draining and my body was starting to grow numb from exhaustion by the time I got down to the last few. I may have overworked my semblance. . .

"Anyway, I managed to kill the last Grimm just before my aura depleted. I could hear Weiss calling for me, and she sounded worried, so I was going to return to her. . . Just as I hooked Crescent Rose to my back, an Alpha Beowulf emerged from out of nowhere. All I remember after that is reaching for my weapon and the next thing I know, I was waking up in a cave." Ruby sat upright, tenderly leaning her back against the couch.

Tai raised a brow when she was finished when her explanation, "You've taken on several packs of beowolves all on your own without taking one hit. How did a group of Deathstalkers do this to you?"

"I was trying to protect Weiss." Ruby rubbed her forehead, quietly asking for some painkillers. Tai nodded and stood up, he left the room and returned with a bottle of pills a few minutes later.

"We keep them around." He said nonchalantly as Ruby took a few from the bottle and set it aside, he handed her a cup of water. "You know," he sat back down beside her, "Ruby, Weiss is also a trained huntress. She can protect herself."

Ruby met his eyes again, "I know, but she hasn't trained in forever. I didn't want her getting hurt."

The man gave her a warm smile and shook his head, "You are just like your mother. . ." He whispered fondly, "Alright, you don't want her to get hurt. Do you think she wanted this to happen to you? Partners protect each other, Ruby, you know this." Ruby didn't say a word, "You said you think she might be convinced you're dead, right? Why is that?"

"I'm assuming she has my cloak and Crescent Rose, and I heard her calling for me before the Alpha Beowulf arrived. . ." Taiyang cut her off.

"You know, she might blame herself for that," he leaned in with a frown, he sighed heavily as sorrow and grief replaced the frown on his face, "Not being able to save somebody you love, knowing you could've protected them, is a burden you'll carry forever. Sometimes, it could tear you apart." A moment of silence passed between the two and Tai straightened his posture, "Why don't we send her a letter or something? Let her know you're not dead."

The young woman with red-tipped hair nodded and went to stand up, but Tai stopped her and she lowered herself back down on the couch. "We'll do that once we get home. The shop closes up in about an hour. In the meantime, just rest and I'll give Rusty a call since Holly seems to be busy."

"Alright..." Ruby whispered, closing her eyes.

_The world was fading and she was falling. Above her, she could see the disintegrating form of the Alpha Beowulf she'd brought down with her. It was dead. . . Good. She faintly heard a voice calling out for her and heart clenched. _I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have taken the mission. _Well, at least the villagers would be safe. If the Grimm had moved in any closer there would've been countless innocent lives lost._

_She closed her eyes, accepting her fate. She didn't have the strength to try and slow her fall, she didn't even have the energy to fight anymore. It would be so much more easier to allow herself to slip away. . . Well, at least she would die a hero, having saved the villager's lives and homes from destruction._

_Ruby heard a voice just before slipped into unconsciousness; _"Your life isn't over yet, Little Rose."


	4. Misfortune

**Edits: Summary changed.**

**[Weiss]**

Late that night, Blake had left their hotel room to search for Yang, leaving Weiss alone with her thoughts. She hadn't yet touched the food waiting on the table, despite her stomach rumbling with hunger. Since she'd left Mistral, she hadn't had much of an appetite. She didn't feel like eating, and she only ever asked for water to keep herself hydrated. Tomorrow (or rather, later today) she would be returning to the mansion to face her father yet again. As much as she desired to do so, she couldn't break down or else her emotions would be fragile and the smallest thing could set her off.

Weiss squeezed her eyes shut and clutched her chest, trying to ignore the sharp pains stabbing at her heart. She could still smell the fading scent of roses lingering in the room. Why couldn't they be fresh? Why couldn't they smell as though Ruby had just walked into the room and was right by her side? Why couldn't she be here. . .? _"Because you let her die."_ A voice told her and Weiss just barely managed to silence the whine threatening to escape her throat. Another stab of pain struck at her heart.

The woman slid down against a wall and brought her knees to her chest, trying to control her breathing and keep her emotions under the surface. _"You let her die. This is all your fault. She trusted you, and you lead her to her death."_ Maybe if she hadn't been so rusty she would've been able to protect Ruby.

_"Just know, I will be the best teammate you'll ever have."_ She failed. She'd broken her promise. Weiss bit back the scream of anguish slowly bubbling inside of her; she was trembling now and it was getting hard to breathe. She felt herself break as Ruby's scream echoed throughout her mind, sounding full of terror and pain. The scene flashed before her eyes again; the blood and the wreckage mixed with the shriek brought tears to her eyes.

Why was this bothering her so much? She'd watched many people die and she'd even taken a few lives herself, how was this any different? She'd lost her friends, she'd lost family, this shouldn't be anything out of the ordinary for her. It was the life of a Huntress; watching those you love die right before you. She'd known that when she'd started her training.

Plus, Ruby had been a Silver Eyed Warrior, she knew she wouldn't live a long life. SEWs never did unless they went into hiding. . .

But why did fate take her away from her now? Weiss needed her; Ruby had promised she'd be right by her side when they returned to Atlas so Weiss could complete her training as the heiress and take over the company. Now she was alone. . . Sure, she had Yang and Blake, but the blonde had been forced to come along and Blake was already having a hard time trying to keep Yang under control. Weiss didn't want to have to burden Blake any more than she already had. That's why she has to keep her emotions under control.

The woman drew in a shaky breath, forcing her jittery nerves to relax as a cold wave washed through her. "Weiss?" She opened her eyes, realizing that she'd been crying when she felt something wet slide down her cheek. Great. . . She probably looked like a mess. "Weiss, are you in here?" It was Yang calling for her. The blonde probably wanted to scream at her some more for letting her baby sister die. . . "We need to talk, Schnee!" Yang hollered, clearly knowing that her teammate was in the hotel.

"What do you want?" Weiss answered at last, not moving from her place in the bathroom floor. She heard footsteps approaching the door and she glanced towards the sound, her blurry vision managing to make out a shadow beneath the door. "You can come in," she whispered hesitantly and Yang slowly stepped inside, sorrowful lilac eyes meeting a watery blue, "I'm sorry, Yang. . . I apologize for allowing Ruby to die. I should've been quicker, I should've kept up with my training. Maybe if had, she'd still be here."

Yang sat down across from her with one knee bent, she seemed to be deep in thought for a moment before breaking the silence with a deep sigh. "It's not your fault, Weiss. I just. . . That was my grief speaking, I wasn't thinking straight. I know you would never just let her die." Yang averted her eyes, "Besides, it's Ruby we're talking about here. You said that you looked up and she was gone right?" Weiss nodded, "Tell me the full story. I won't interrupt this time, I promise."

Weiss drew another raggedy breath and braced herself for the explanation, allowing herself to return to that moment in time. Reluctantly, she explained everything to Yang as her mind flushed through the memories, describing them in as much detail as she could so that her teammate would receive the full picture. She described the destruction of the den and the earth that had been ripped up by the Deathstalkers following her partner, she even made sure to include the panic she'd felt when she'd heard her fiancee's blood-curdling scream. Across from her, Yang was listening with a stoic expression, her emotions having been concealed so that she could properly listen to the story.

When Weiss was finished, Yang sat in silence and allowed the information to process so that she could make sense out of it. Weiss was watching her, waiting for her to snap and deem her responsible for Ruby's death. "She must've been trying to protect you, then," the blonde whispered with a tiny smile, "I've noticed she'll throw herself into the face of danger to protect those she loves." Yang released a chuckle, "I always told her she was going to get herself killed like that," the smile faded, "I guess it finally caught up to her."

The white-haired woman remained silent and Yang moved to her side, "You know she loved you, right?" Weiss glanced at her, "If she were separated from you, she'd go to the ends of the earth to find you." She felt tears starting to gather in her eyes again; Yang offered her a watery smile and placed a hand on her shoulder. "You made her happy, that's all I asked of you."

"I-I still should've continued my training, I would've been able to protect her." Weiss whispered painfully. "I shouldn't have accepted that mission, we already had so much to do with the. . ." Weiss trailed off.

"Wedding?" Yang finished for her and Weiss nodded, "Stop blaming yourself, Ruby would've taken the mission solo if you had rejected. You know she can't just stand around and do nothing when people are in danger." Yang winked, "And since when has she ever listened to you?"

Weiss allowed a chuckle to escape, "True." Her eyes shifted towards the wall again, refusing to look at her teammate as tears stung the edges again, "It doesn't feel like she should be gone. . . It just happened so quickly." She whispered, her voice cracking.

Yang hummed, "I know what you mean," she replied, "deaths that are sudden and unexpected are the hardest to accept. You expect them to come home one day and be all like 'oh it was a prank', or it was all just a bad dream. . ." Another awkward silence passed between the two and the blonde finally spoke again, "I'm sorry for attacking you the way I did. It's just. . . we've told you how we found out our mother died, and it felt like I lost her all over again." Yang met Weiss' eyes, "What I'm trying to say is that I apologize for treating you the way I have."

"It's. . . It's alright." Weiss replied, but Yang shook her head.

"If Ruby was here to see how I've acted towards you, she'd be coming for my head." Yang chuckled at the thought of her somewhat overprotective sister, "Because nobody treated her Snowflake badly." Weiss raised a brow at the nickname and the blonde flashed her a smile, "My bad," she smirked and Weiss frowned, "nobody treated her Princess that way." Weiss groaned in annoyance and her teammate laughed.

"Oh good, you're back to your old self." Weiss muttered, allowing a smile to cross her lips, "Although, you may never call me that again."

"Yes of course, _Princess_."

"God damn it, Yang!"

The bathroom door opened and lilac/ice blue eyes met with a pair of golden, "If you two are done making out in here, I've finished dinner." The room fell deathly silent as horror crossed Weiss' face and a mischievous smirk replaced Yang's grin.

[The Next Day]  
**Trigger Warning: **Miscarriage  
_Everything will be explained in the next chapter._

She'd woken up dimly aware of the pain coursing through her abdomen, it had taken a few minutes for her to regain enough conscious to slide out of bed and fetch a pain pill. After a cup of coffee, she'd started for the shower to get ready for the day. At eleven this morning, she had a meeting to attend with her father. She didn't receive all the information, but she'd managed to figure out that it was a business meeting, discussing the affairs between their two companies and whatnot.

In the bathroom, she'd noticed that her underwear had a few spots of blood in them. That was weird, considering she wasn't due for her cycle for another week. Then again it wouldn't be the first time it came early. Usually the cramping didn't hurt as bad as it did now. Weiss had expected to step out of the shower, grab a tampon, get dressed and leave for the meeting. Instead, she was sitting in the tub, having long drained, curled into a fetal position with a towel wrapped around her.

The cramps felt as though somebody was mercilessly tearing her insides apart, and it hurt to move. Even the smallest movement (besides lifting her head) sent more jolts of pain down through her abdomen. She wanted to scream, but she didn't want to wake her friends. She couldn't bite back the whines and whimpers of discomfort, though. She lifted her head when she heard her scroll going off from the sink counter and she groaned, but attempting to sit up so that she could answer it was probably the worst decision she'd ever made. A large wave of nausea and extreme pain washed over her like a wave; she crashed back down with a small yelp of agony.

Fantastic. She was late for the meeting and she'd missed her father's call. Her scroll rang a few more times as her father tried to get in touch with her, but she didn't move. A few moments passed and a knock came at the door, followed by Blake's tired voice. "Weiss? Are you okay?" Weiss had forgotten that her friend was a faunus, she could probably hear the noise she was making. Not to mention, her scroll hadn't exactly been muted. "Do you need any help?

Weiss hesitated for a second, glancing down at the pool of dark red blood staining the tub. Painfully, she sat up and held herself upright by gripping the rim. "C-call for an ambulance." Weiss pleaded, her gut telling her that the pain and the amount of blood she'd just lost wasn't normal at all.

Blake didn't stop to question it judging by the hurried footsteps she heard running from the bathroom door.


	5. Explanations

Ruby had been up all night sitting in the garage, fiddling with parts of weapons and tools. She'd already created one or two possible replacements, but the design and the functions never set right with her so she continued to toy around with her ideas. No weapon would be able to replace Crescent Rose, she knew that much, but she needed a temporary one to get her back home. She didn't have the parts required to redesign CR here in Mistral, all of that was sitting in her basement at home. It would be great if she could use pieces from her old weapon, but the chunk of metal was nowhere to be found when she'd escaped the cave. It was probably destroyed or sitting at the bottom of the ocean.

"Gah!" A sharp poke touch the tip of Ruby's finger, reeling her back to reality. She groaned, her fingers were bandaged since she would keep zoning out while working. Just as she stood up to clean the blood off and fetch another band-aid, the garage door opened and Ruby turned around. "It's morning already?!" She exclaimed in surprise, now aware of the sunlight pooling in. Tai gestured for her to come in for breakfast and he smell of freshly cooked food caught her attention, her stomach growled. She hadn't eaten in forever. . .

"Who cooked?" She asked, shutting the garage light off and following her father into the house. "It smells good!"

She came around the corner and paused when she seen Holly setting the table, the middle-aged woman looked up and smiled at her. "Judging by the way you look, you didn't sleep at all last night." She chuckled, gesturing for the father and daughter to sit down. Ruby took a seat across from her father as Holly sat at the head of the table. "I invited my daughter and her husband over to meet you, if you don't mind. We've never met somebody with silver eyes! We've always thought it was some sort of myth!"

Ruby sighed, "I won't mind. Just please don't make such a big deal out of it," she requested quietly, "it gets a little annoying after a while."

"We'll try not to-" Holly stopped mid-sentence, her gaze drifting to Tai, who had already begun to eat and had half-cleared his plate, "Taiyang Xiao Long. We didn't even say prayer first!" The woman scolded and the blonde man gave a sheepish smile. After a quick prayer, the trio finished up breakfast and had moved to the couch. The television was on and playing some random show, but none of them were paying attention. Ruby was laying horizontally across one of the couches, her father and his girlfriend occupying the other.

She was listening to the story of how the two of them had met, how Holly had apparently fallen in love at first sight and had tried and tried for the man's attention. Holly had heard of Tai's history with love and had promised him that she would never leave him. She was not a huntress and would remain at home, she would be there for him if he needed her. Just as the story ended, a knock on the wooden door echoed through the house Holly got to her feet and went to answer it.

"Rusty! Amra!" Holly greeted the people and Ruby sat up. Her eyes widened as the woman whom gave her the money yesterday walked in with a bearded man behind her, Ruby glanced between Holly and Amra, now seeing the resemblance between the two. Amra had bright red hair, but her eye color matched Holly's as well as her facial shape. The two shared a few more aspects as well, such as their hair style and parts of their personalities.

Amra grinned, "See, Rusty? Didn't I tell you she had silver eyes?" She tugged at her husband's arms and the rusty-haired man glanced towards Ruby. "I'm not crazy!" Rusty just smiled and gave the redhead's cheek a kiss, approaching Ruby and leaving his wife alone to speak with Holly.

"You really do have silver eyes. . ." Rusty commented and Ruby just barely concealed the irritation bubbling inside her chest. Why was that everybody's first comment or question when they met her? Like, really? It gets old. . . "Holly told me you were injured." He spoke calmly, keeping his distance in case the huntress felt threatened by his presence, "I'm a fully trained doctor with four years of experience. Would you mind if I take a look?" He asked, "You don't have to show me any wounds you do not wish for me to see."

Ruby gave him a smile, "My aura has taken care of most of my injuries," she replied carefully as she righted herself, ". . .but I do fear that my shoulder may be broken." She gestured for Rusty to take a seat beside her and he did.

"Care if I examine it?" He asked and Ruby shook her head. She winced when she felt a burning sensation run across her shoulder like a blast of fire, she glanced at Rusty to see his hands glowing a bright red. "My semblance is not to heal, if that's what you're wondering," he smiled, "it allows me to pinpoint the exact location of a wound or a break so that I can perform surgery if required. It appears that yours has pretty much healed, thanks to your strong aura, but I wouldn't recommend taking on any missions for a while."

Ruby glanced towards her father, who simply shrugged in response. Outside the window, Holly knocked and gestured for the blonde man to follow her and Amra outside. Leaving Ruby alone. She frowned and rose her guard, ready to strike if Rusty tried anything. "Okay, so no missions. Would I be allowed to travel to Atlas by myself?" She asked carefully, "I won't get too close to the Grimm."

"I suggest you stay here and he-"

Nope.

"I can't stay here!" Ruby snapped, "I have to get back to my fiancee! She's in Atlas alone! She needs me!" Rusty stared at her for a minute and Ruby took the silence as a chance to continue, "Like hell I'm staying here to 'heal'. She is probably worried to death about me, hell she might even think I'm dead!" She was sick of everybody telling her she needed to relax, telling her she she needed to stay and allow her body to heal properly. She knew she should, but she had her heart set on returning to Weiss.

Something was pulling her towards Atlas, she didn't know what it was, but it seemed to be trying to tell her something. Her partner could be in trouble. . . Ruby's voice lowered down to almost threatening growl, "She needs me. I'm not staying here."

Rusty looked up into Ruby's determined silver eyes, "Your fiancée must mean a great deal to you. Unfortunately, I cannot allow you to make the journey to Atlas in your condition. We can send her a letter or something to let her know you're okay and that you'll be staying here to recover."

"Fine. . ." Ruby muttered, yanking her arm back to her side. She glanced towards the door as Tai and Holly entered carrying shopping bags, leaving the door wide open as they started for the kitchen. Ruby sat up, her silver eyes locked on the door. She furrowed her brow and braced herself, summoning her aura and calling on her semblance. She felt the wind wrap around her as she bolted off the couch, leaving rose petals in her wake. She sped through the door, ready to run as far as she could in the direction of Atlas, but fatigue immediately rushed through her, causing her body feel heavy and overworked. Her semblance slowed and she stumbled to catch her balance, finding herself only a feet away from the house.

"Ruby!" Tai stepped out of the house, walking over to the panting woman and placing a hand on her back. "You haven't rested well. You can't use your semblance, it'll just wear you out."

"No shit." She hissed in response, clutching at her stomach as nausea replaced the fatigue. "Dad, I need to get back to her. . ." Ruby whispered, "Something bad has happened, I can feel it. I don't know what it is, but my gut tells me I need to be there. . ."

Tai sighed and gently turned the young woman back to the house, waving nervously at the onlookers. "Just rest, I'll see what I can do. . ."

A few hours later, Holly and Ruby were left alone in the house while Tai went into town. Holly was straightening up the kitchen and Ruby was uncomfortably on the couch. Her father had advised her to try and sleep while he was gone, but she was restless. She was as tired as hell, though.

"So," Ruby glanced towards Holly as the middle-aged woman approached the lounge, "if you don't mind me asking, who is the lucky man?" Holly took a seat in the rocking chair across from her. Ruby furrowed her brows in response, "Your father told me you got engaged last year, no?"

"Oh!" Ruby sat up and righted herself, meeting Holly's green gaze and offering her a polite smile, "Dad can't keep his mouth shut about anything, can he?" Holly chuckled, "I did get engaged, but there is no man. I'm actually surprised he didn't tell you."

Holly stared at her for a moment before shaking her head, "I'm sorry. Who's the lucky lady? Is it somebody from your team?" Tai seemed to have told her quite a bit. . . Ruby just nodded and the woman hummed, "Yang is your sister, so it couldn't be her. Who was that other girl? Your sister's partner?"

"Blake. She isn't the one I'm marrying, though. She's Yang's girlfriend." Ruby informed her, giggling when Holly's brows furrowed in confusion. The older woman's eyes widened and an incredulous gasp escaped her lips.

At first the realization that had struck Holly was quite amusing, but then. . . "You're engaged to the Schnee Dust Company's heiress?! You're marrying Weiss Schnee?! Ruby, that's amazing!" The way her fiancée's name was spoken caused a frown to cross Ruby's face.

"I'm marrying Weiss. Not Weiss Schnee. She's more than just 'the heiress to the Schnee Dust Company'." Ruby muttered, rubbing her forehead. "And it's really not that big of a deal. . ."

"You mean her father is allowing her to marry somebody he didn't choose for her-. . . Uh-" Holly cut herself off when Ruby shot her a cold glare, quietly asking how much the woman knew the subject, "Well, your father told me everything he knew about your team and their families. . . I wasn't informed you were engaged to your partner, though."

Ruby let out a low growl, "That would mean he told you everything. . ."

Holly raised her brows at her and sat back. "I'm sorry," she apologized and when Ruby waved it off, asked, "Anyway, what are you two planning to do after marriage? Will you still be a huntress?"

"We're actually talking about having our own family," she explained reluctantly, the idea of her fiancée's privacy having been revealed to a complete stranger didn't sit well with her. But, there was nothing she could do about it now. "Weiss is nervous about it because she fears she'll become like her parents, but I told her I'll be there with her every step of the way. She'd have me, so she'd never become like them." A pang of longing struck her and she glanced to the floor, shaking her head and lifting her eyes to meet Holly's again when the woman spoke.

"But you're both women? How would a child be conceived? Are you going to look for a donor?" The bewilderment on Holly's face was almost laughable.

"Well," Ruby whispered, fiddling with her fingers, "some researchers found that you can mix one woman's DNA in with the dust and it could be used as an artificial sperm. They wanted Weiss to test it out. . ."

* * *

[Weiss]

"So, I brought it home. At first, I was hesitant because it would only be the first experiment and they fail a majority of the time. I was also informed that there was a slim chance it would work, and I considered sending it back, but Ruby convinced me to try the dust, so we did." Weiss was sitting slouched over on the hospital bed, her fists clutching at her hospital gown. Blake and Yang seated on each side of her and listening to her explanation. Her eyes were locked on the floor, she was trying her best not to allow the tears stinging at the edges of her eyes to escape.

"Since the chances of the experiment being successful were so low, we didn't think it would work," she whispered weakly, "apparently it did." Weiss lifted a trembling hand and placed it on her stomach, "Unfortunately, the dust doesn't seem to be compatible with my body, which caused the miscarriage according to the nurses. . ."

Blake reached up and wrapped an arm around Weiss' shoulders, leaning against her friend and whispering a quiet, sorrowful apology. Yang remained stiff, staring off into nothing; her expression was unreadable. "I'm sorry that you lost a child, Weiss." Her voice wasn't gentle at all. . . "But maybe it's for the best."

It felt like a dagger had been struck into her chest, but she showed no emotion. Weiss frowned at her friend, "What's that supposed to mean?" She asked carefully, fearful of the response she might be given.

"Nothing." It seemed that the smallest thing could provoke Yang at the moment, but the grief and regret was clear in her eyes. She turned away from Weiss, standing to her feet. "I need to be alone for a minute. . ." Yang's voice was barely audible.

"Yang-" Weiss started, silencing herself when the door opened and a nurse stepped in. The first person Weiss had seen was her Father, his hands behind his back and a seemingly calm expression on his face. His eyes reflected the anger and disappointment clearly raging inside; Weiss shrunk back as Blake and Yang left the room upon the nurse's command, probably by her Father's request.

The room remained quiet for a few moments. For Weiss, it seemed like an eternity. Her heart was beating quickly inside her chest and she was trembling ever-so-slightly. Her Father was not happy, she could feel the irritation radiating off of him. She stiffened herself and drew in a deep breath, deciding it would be best to get this over with as quickly as possible. It would not end well, that was for sure. His posture and glare told her she wouldn't be let off so easily, there would definitely be a punishment of some sort.

She could take it. . . What else did she have to lose?

"Father. . ." She whispered, flinching when he narrowed his eyes at her, "I-I can exp-" He cut her off.

"First I find out my daughter is a lesbian," his voice rose as he spoke, his words practically dripping with venom, "I find out she's marrying a low-class woman, then she disgraces the Schnee family name by having a bastard child?" There it was. . . "Did you even comprehend any of the training I put you through?! Does your name and title mean anything to you? Imagine what the media would think upon receiving the news that a Schnee was carrying a child belonging to another woman!"

Of course, because tarnishing the family name was much more important than losing what could've been your family. No surprise there.

"I let you go through with this little fantasy of yours. I was willing to wait until you came to your senses, but now I see that I should have gotten rid of that Rose girl long ago!" The mention of her fiancee caused her heart to clench, once again reminding her that she was alone. Weiss kept her mouth shut, listening to her Father's rant. Why couldn't she have been the one to have lost her life?

"Tomorrow, you will be meeting three men I have lined up for you. Choose which one you like the most and the wedding will be held as soon as possible. Consider yourself lucky I managed to keep the news of your... Thing... off the media."

Weiss glanced up at Jacques, frowning as she processed his words. He had suitors lined up for her. . . She'd been foolish to believe he'd have allowed her to go through with her marriage; he had taken control of her life again. Did she ever even have freedom in the first place? Or was this all part of his plan?

"What do you mean?" She asked carefully, glaring at the man as he turned to face her. She knew very well what he meant, she simply wanted confirmation.

"The announcement of your miscarriage and your pretend engagement will get out eventually. You think I want to be blamed for not keeping my delinquent daughter under control?" Only thinking about how he would be portrayed, no amount of concern of what would come to her. She wanted to tell him that it would backfire on their name, not just her, but she held her tongue.

She did have something to say, though. "Let me get this straight," she felt anger bubbling up inside of her, "I lose my fiancee, who was also my best friend, and I lose my baby only a few days later. . . But I'm supposed to act like nothing happened? I'm not even allowed to grieve? Did you ever think of the world would think of that?"

Jacques simply raised a brow, "Which is why the world not be informed of this. If word gets out, you will shut them down and say they are nothing but rumors and you have been in love with your chosen husband the whole time."

"Do you really believe that will work?! People know who I am, they know who my partner was, my team. All of Beacon knew of our engagement-"

"Which is why you will say it was only a phase." The man turned his back towards her, "Liam Greer. His parents have been longtime allies of ours. You will meet him tomorrow and we will begin planning the wedding immediately. You will say you chose him to marry and will be respectful towards your future husband, do not disappoint me again.

Weiss' brow twitched. "What?!"

"You heard me. Get dressed, we're heading home." Without another word, the man left.

* * *

**Hi! I'm procrastinating! No seriously, I need to finish the next chapter to Ice Flower and I did this instead. . .**

**Anyway.**

**Amra - Amaranth red  
Rusty - Rusted orange  
Liam Greer - Lime green**

**Amra and Rusty will not appear again, but they will be mentioned. Liam will reveal himself in the next chapter.**


	6. Denial

**[Weiss]**

The pain and cramping had begun to ease up hours ago with the assistance of pain medication given to her by the hospital, they had insisted she take it and had ignored her father's protesting. Weiss had practically felt the irritation radiating off of him when he didn't get his way, but he still played the role of a caring and worried father perfectly. _"Bastard. . ."_

Weiss' eyes skimmed over the paper her nurse had given her, informing her of what to expect and what to do now that she's returned home. She disregarded information warning her about intercourse, she didn't have to worry about that. It was pretty obvious and shouldn't need to be said, in her opinion. According to the hospital, her uterus had completely emptied itself out and no intervention was required, she was told to consider herself lucky for some unknown reason.

Judging by what she'd read she should be able to resume light activities here soon. That is, if her father cared about her well-being. In just a few hours, she would be meeting Liam to discuss their supposed engagement. Weiss had tried to escape the mansion once she'd felt better, but there were guards at every possible exit. One had escorted her back to her bedroom and currently stood outside her door in case she made an attempt to run away again.

_"No use in delaying the inevitable."_ Weiss thought, folding the paper and rising from her bed. A twinge of discomfort poked at her abdomen and the woman winced, breathing in as it quickly subsided and making her way to her dresser. _"Though, it'd be amazing if I could reverse time and prevent any of this from happening. . ." _

Three days had passed since the incident, but it felt like an eternity. Maybe all of this was just a bad dream and she could wake up at any second. When she woke, Ruby would be right by her side. Unfortunately, this was reality now. Her partner was gone, she wasn't ever coming back.

Weiss' eyes glanced down to the ring she wore on her finger and she reluctantly removed it, caressing the silver metal with her thumb. A silver snowflake adorning a heart-shaped sapphire diamond sat in the center, and Weiss could just vaguely see herself through the the polished diamond. Memories flashed through her mind; being lead through the forest by her hyperactive girlfriend (at the time) and following her into a clearing, Zwei and his little part in the arrangement, Ruby's fingers working the flowers into her hair, and the proposal. . .

_"I-I know I'm not wealthy like your previous suitors." _

Weiss closed her eyes, _"Why would I have cared about that?"_ Yes, she used to care about her wealth and her reputation, but she'd learned that there was much more to life than that. She discovered that most of her suitors were trying to work their way into her family name, just like her father. They only seen her as a prize to be won. Ruby, on the other hand, had loved her for who she was. She helped her find her true self.

_"Our first encounter wasn't all that great, either. I made a horrible first impression. . ." _

Had she not met the perky redhead, she would have remained a cold, spoiled bitch who got everything she would ever want. Well, almost. Money didn't buy happiness. . . At least, for some. There would have always been a piece of her missing, no matter how well-off she was. She would have always been lonely. Weiss chuckled weakly, _"No, that was me. I was the bitch. You were fine."_

_"I-I can't give you the world, or buy you everything you want."_

Weiss gently squeezed the ring before reluctantly setting it on her desk, she opened her eyes to see her reflection staring back at her in the mirror. _"What could I have possibly wanted that I didn't already have?" _She'd had her team, her friends. She'd had _Ruby_.

_"__I can give you my heart."_

That's all she wanted, that's all she really needed. Weiss hadn't cared what she'd have to go through as long as her partner was there to support her. Because of Ruby, she'd had a _family_. Ruby and Yang's father had willingly accepted her as part of the family when he'd learned of the engagement. Blake's parents had been a bit wary of her at first due to her name, but eventually came around. Blake's father had been nothing but a big teddy bear. . .

Had she lived, and had Weiss known. . . Weiss bit her lip and forced down the sob rising up to her throat. She and Ruby had often talked about having a family, and she'd been looking forward to it. Ruby already had names picked out, she'd even been willing to make her life as a huntress a side job to stay at home and care for the children. For a brief moment, Weiss had felt guilty, feeling as though she'd asked Ruby to throw aside her dream for something so small.

_"Weiss, I would gladly give up everything for you and our kids when we have them. Nothing would be more important."_

Look at that, she'd destroyed _two _of Ruby's dreams. . .

_Knock knock._

Weiss reached up and wiped the tears from her eyes, allowing her vision to clear before moving away from her desk to approach the door. She hoped she didn't look too bad, considering it was probably her father coming to remind her of her meeting with Liam. Weiss opened the door, preparing herself for the scrutinizing glare from her father and the possible insults about her appearance. It wasn't her father on the other side of the door, though. . .

"Blake?" Weiss frowned and Blake cocked a brow in amusement. Weiss glanced around for the guard in confusion. They would have never allowed a faunus to enter the Schnee mansion, not unless they were a slave. The hallway was clear, save for Blake. "I'm sorry, I didn't expect to see you. . . What do you need?" She asked, returning her attention to her friend. The woman held up a familiar red piece of cloth and Weiss felt her heart clench again, having finally noticed the matching red sash around Blake's waist.

"Yang and I decided to do something with this instead of carrying it around everywhere." Blake replied and Weiss gestured for the black-haired woman to enter, she closed the door behind her and turned to meet her friend's golden eyes, "It was kind of in the way since we're staying in a small hotel room."

Weiss rolled her eyes, irritation bubbling up inside of her as she approached her bed. Her heart clenched as the fading smell of roses drifted towards her, signalling that Blake had followed her. "Good," she whispered, seating herself on the mattress and leaning against the headboard, "it won't go to waste."

"It's dark in here." Blake commented and Weiss glanced in her direction, "If you comment on my night vision, I will walk out of this room." Weiss hummed, shifting so that she was in a more comfortable position and patting the space next to her for Blake to sit down. Said woman obliged, "Before I ask anything else, how are you feeling? Still in pain?"

Weiss shook her head, "I have a few cramps here and there, but the medication seems to have helped. Please don't mention this again," she requested, wanting to be in the best mood possible for tonight, even if it would be forced, "what are you here for?"

"Yang made her part of the cloak into a scarf that turns into a hood." Blake replied, setting the remains of the cloak in her lap.

"Creative," Weiss murmured quietly, forcing her icy gaze to lock with Blake's golden eyes again, "it's expected of her. So you turned yours into a sash?" She asked, gesturing to the red cloth around Blake's waist, she received a nod in response, "What are you going to do with the rest? I would suggest sending it to-"

"No, it's yours." Blake cut her off and Weiss watched the other woman unfolded the rose emblem hiding underneath, "You were part of Team RWBY." Blake smiled softly, "You were also her fianceé, so I think this belongs to you."

She wanted to reach out and touch the soft material that Ruby had wrapped around her when she was not feeling well, Weiss recalled the many times she'd unclipped the pin from Ruby's cloak when the younger woman had fallen asleep the moment she laid down. Ruby would also allow her to use it as a blanket whenever she was away, it used to bring her some sense of comfort. Now. . . Could she touch it? Would it still feel the same? It was only one piece, of course it wouldn't be the same. The scent would eventually fade away, too. But maybe. . . Hesitantly, Weiss reached out for it.

_"Don't ever touch it again! Don't even look at it!"_

She pulled her hand away before she could touch the silver rose, Weiss released a shaky breath she hadn't realized she was holding and looked back at Blake, Yang's words played on repeat in her head. "I vividly recall Yang insisting I don't deserve to have anything left her."

Blake frowned, "That's not what she said and you know it." The woman placed the cloth and the rose into Weiss' palm and the white-haired woman's heart skipped a beat again, she instinctively grasped the emblem and her finger traced the pin. She didn't notice Blake moving off the bed, "Your servant told me I need to leave as soon as I can. Your father wouldn't like a faunus being in here. . . I'll see you tomorrow, Weiss."

Oh, right, her father. She had to get dressed for tonight, she still had to meet Liam. Wait. . . Weiss looked towards her friend just before Blake opened the door, "What do I do with this?" She had an idea.

Blake offered her a smile, "Whatever you want to do with it."

_"Perfect."_

* * *

"Just what in the world are you wearing?!"

"This is the gown you purchased for me, is it not?"

"You know very well what I'm referring to, young lady! Take whatever it is out of your hair this instant!"

The red cloth she'd been given had been turned into a ribbon, Weiss had set aside her tiara and replaced it with the rose, attaching it to the bow she'd tied into her ponytail. For some strange reason, she felt more at ease. Perhaps it was the fact she had part of Ruby with her? It was like she could feel her presence- well, she felt someone's presence, but she chose for it to be Ruby's. At least, she hoped it was. Ruby wouldn't allow her to go through this alone, right? She'd always been there when she needed her.

"I like it." Weiss replied calmly, turning her attention to two approaching figures down the hall. They both seemed to be middle-aged, and it felt like a weight had been lifted off of her shoulders. Maybe they'd reconsidered the engagement? She could feel the glare her father had given her before greeting the couple with a practiced polite tone, he spoke their names, but she didn't catch what they were It didn't matter, though. It was her turn. . . "It's nice to finally meet you," she smiled, quietly growling on the inside, "I've heard a lot about your family."

The man with jet black hair and forest green eyes spoke next, returning the greeting before furrowing his brow. He glanced towards Jacques and unspoken words were exchanged between the two. Weiss stiffened as the Mr. Greer approached her and began to circle her, examining her as though she were on display. Irritation pricked inside of Weiss' chest as he continued scrutinize her. _"Why are you circling me?" _She had to fight the urge to scowl at him, _"What were you, a vulture in another life?"_

Mr. Greer glanced back up to her and he hummed thoughtfully, "Her appearance is perfection, other than that one flaw," he glared disapprovingly at her, he was obviously referring to her scar, "but her physique. . ." Weiss just barely held her tongue, "I do hope the children inherit most the Greer family genes." Now she was seething. . . How dare he! Before Weiss could say anything in response, the man turned back to her father, "I was hoping we could discuss something in private, if that's okay with you, Mr. Schnee?"

"Of course! It has been such a long time since we discussed anything concerning our companies." Weiss rolled her eyes at her father's facade, "Where is your son?" Oh great, she was being sent to meet some strange man alone! This was going to go smoothly. . .

"He's outside, we asked him to wait for your daughter's arrival. He is quite old enough to handle this on his own." Mr. Greer replied.

Jacques glanced towards her, "Weiss-"

"Yeah, I'm going." Weiss muttered bitterly, turning away from them and starting down the hallway towards the exit. Over the clacking of her heels, she heard Mr. Greer comment on her attitude and her father apologize, saying that she would be straightened out later. She didn't care. . .

A sudden wave of melancholy surrounded her, causing her heart to grow heavy and her shoulders to slack as if she were carrying the weight of the world upon her. A million incoherent thoughts ran through her mind, some of them wondering if her Ruby was still alive, and some blaming her for the hyperactive woman's death. Ruby was the strongest person she knew, she couldn't really be dead, could she? But. . . She'd have returned to her by now. . .

Her icy gaze fixated on the floor, she didn't look up to the guards when the doors were opened and she stepped out into the cold Atlas air. It was only when she heard a young man's voice did she snap back into reality, she glanced to see a man with combed dark brown hair, a goatee, and lime green eyes staring back at her. "Oh, I'm sorry," she apologized as he approached her, "I was lost in my thoughts. Are you Liam?"

"I am," Liam smiled politely, then nervousness crossed his features, "do I need to bow or something? I'm really sorry, I'm inexperienced with this." Weiss shook her head and he released a sigh of relief, "So um. . . You're really pretty."

"Thank you." She was blunt with her response, wanting to show as little emotion as possible. "Our parents are discussing political matters," Weiss gestured towards the mansion, "I could show you around? You must be cold." She wasn't _that _heartless.

Liam's eyes lit up and Weiss frowned, "That would be great!" That was Ruby's voice. . . Part of her wanted to look around for her beloved, but her gut told her it was just her mind playing tricks on her. Liam's nervousness had reminded her of the redhead, causing her to hear Ruby instead. She must've zoned out, because she was reeled back into consciousness when Liam spoke again, "Um, Weiss? If I am allowed to call you that. . . Are you okay?"

Weiss nodded mutely, ignoring the brief cramps in her abdomen and leading the young man into the mansion. "Wow, it's a lot fancier than I imagined!" Liam commented, examining the interior in awe. Weiss momentarily spaced out again.

_"Oh my-! Weiss, this is where you live?" _

_"_Lived_, actually. We have our own home now, Ruby."_

_"Yeah, I know, and it's amazing! But this place. . . It's- It's bigger than I thought it would be!"_

Weiss glanced over her shoulder at Liam, who was wearing the exact same expression of pure astonishment as Ruby did when she'd first entered her home. The white-haired woman drew in a deep breath, "Please, keep your amazement to yourself," that came out sounding more icy than she had originally intended, "this place is really nothing special." She didn't find anything remarkable about the mansion, at least, not anymore. She used to take pride in her home and had usually been more than happy to show it off to any visitors when they stopped by. Though, it had become rare for her father to allow anybody inside.

She could only guess that people were commenting on the fact that any trace of her grandfather had been removed as an attempt to completely erase his memory.

Liam came to her side, "Did I upset you? It was not my intention, if I did."

She stopped and took a few steps away from the man. "No, you're fine, you're not the one to blame. . . You seem nice enough, but please don't invade my space like that." She turned down the hall, paying no attention to Liam's sincere-sounding apology. "Come. The tour begins now."

* * *

**I don't like this chapter. . .**

**There's just something about it that makes me think it's absolutely horrid. . .**


	7. Revelation

_**I can't believe I said this fic will be 4-5 chapters long. . .**_

_**Ice Flower's next chapter is in the works! I just returned from a week-long vacation and this is as good as I can get at the moment. **_

* * *

_"I-I like you. . ."_

_Her silver eyes stared into a bright yellow pair and Ruby began to fidget when she was met by silence, her crush simply staring at her with an expressionless look. "I really like you. . . " Ruby repeated herself, nervously wringing her hands behind her back and scraping her boot across the grass below her feet. "So I was just wondering if. . . Maybe you'd be my girlfriend?" She whispered, her heart cracking when her crush frowned at her in disgust. The pale-haired girl suddenly cackled and Ruby shrunk away, tears pricking at the edges of her eyes._

_The girl had never laughed directly at her before. . . She'd never looked at her like that, she'd always been nice and kind towards her. Considerate of her feelings, being there for her when she needed a friend, and offering her friendship when Ruby first started school at Signal. She'd supported Ruby's dream of becoming a huntress and had been impressed when Ruby presented Crescent Rose to her. Her kindness was what made Ruby fall for her, and she knew Aryl was bisexual so surely she'd be willing to give her a chance, right? After all, they were best friends._

_"Me? Be your girlfriend?" Aryl wiped the tears from her eyes and chuckled at Ruby, causing the thirteen-year old's heart to ache. "Ruby. First of all, you're a bit too young for a girlfriend. Second of all, who would fall in love with somebody like you? You're struggling to get by, and you don't even have a mother! I also know your father is hardly ever around. Not to mention, your childish dream of becoming a huntress like those stupid books is a bit ridiculous."_

_Her words were the final blow to her heart. Tears started to roll down Ruby's cheeks and Aryl scoffed, "Oh grow up, Ruby. So I don't like you, big deal. You're not going to get everything you want."  
_

The scenery changed and Aryl faded into nothingness. When she opened her eyes again, she was at Beacon.

_Ruby was standing at the docs, facing the school and twirling a rose in her hands behind her back. She knew it was a stupid thing to do since, well, her last name was Rose. . . But it was a white rose! White for Weiss and a rose for her. She'd been more drawn to white roses here recently, linking them to her and Weiss. Maybe Weiss would catch on. . .?_

_She heard the familiar click-clack of high heels and she glanced up, her heart swelling with affection when she laid eyes on Weiss approaching her. The older girl was wearing her combat attire, having clearly just finished up a training session. She didn't seem to be in the best mood, though. . . Her heart skipped a beat when Weiss' icy blue gaze glanced up to look at her, Ruby offered her a smile and her partner returned it. Weiss came to her side, "So what did you call me out here for?"_

_Ruby almost forgot how to speak, but quickly recomposed herself. "I just wanted to talk, if that's okay with you."_

_"I suppose I could spare a few minutes," Weiss hummed, "I remember when we were all sitting here watching the sunset. Not as grand as the sunsets in Atlas, but it was beautiful."_

_"You're beautiful." Ruby almost said, tearing her eyes away from Weiss. "Yeah, it was. . . You look like you're in a bad mood, though, why?" She asked, turning her full attention to her partner. "I want to see you smile, I want to hear you laugh. . . I don't like it when you're upset, it hurts me."_

_Weiss groaned beside her and rubbed her forehead with two fingers, and Ruby knew it would be a long story. "It's just that Jaune has been asking me out constantly all week! I swear he's tried to get me to attend a silly date with him at least five times in the past two days! I just- Ugh! What does Pyrrha see him?! He's a desperate boy who can't take no for an answer!" Ruby sighed, listening to her crush complain about her close friend's annoying attempts to woo her. Maybe now wasn't the best time? She could wait a few more weeks, couldn't she? But what if somebody else comes along and manages to win Weiss' affections. . .? It was very possible, seeing how beautiful the girl was and how many rich boys attended the prestigious school known as Beacon. "Anyway, Ruby, what did you want to talk about?"  
_

_Before Ruby could respond, a faint sound caused the world to begin fading to black as her senses awakened. _Well that was a trip down memory lane. . .

_Bzzt._

What in the world was that sound?

_Bzzzt._

It sounded like a scroll. . .

_Bzzzzt._

It was definitely a scroll. . .

Ruby's silver eyes blinked open and she squinted to adjust them to the bright lights in the room, "What?" She whispered groggily, reaching up to rub her eyes. When her vision cleared, she found herself starting at an unfamiliar beige ceiling. She sat up, expecting Weiss to be laying beside her, still fast asleep. She was alone. . . Confusion struck her again when she realized she was laying on someone's couch.

"Afternoon!"

_Eh-?_

She glanced over her shoulder and frowned, slowly returning to reality. She was in Mistral, staying with her father and his new girlfriend. She wasn't at home. . . "Holly," she greeted quietly as she shifted to face the middle-aged woman, "good morning."

Holly smirked at her, "It's twelve in the afternoon, you slept in." When had she fallen asleep anyway? She felt rested, refreshed, and ready to go, but her body still ached a little bit. "I know you just woke up," Holly handed her a bowl of potatoes, "but I need some help, would you mind peeling these for me?"

"Sure." Ruby shrugged tiredly and took the bowl from her, requesting a cup of coffee as she started to slice the skin off the potatoes. "Where's Dad?" She asked, glancing up to Holly as the woman clicked the television on and flicked to the news channel.

"He went to take care of things at the store, he requested that I stay back and make sure you don't try to run off again." Holly smirked at her, "So, how do you feel?"

Ruby raised a brow, "I just opened my eyes. I feel like crap." She replied quietly, glancing back down at the potatoes. _Plus, my Princess isn't with me. It feels strange to be waking up alone._ It'd been a while since she'd taken a mission that kept her away from home for a long period of time, she'd been taking the ones that had her home by midnight. She'd wanted to spend as much time with her fiancee as possible before Weiss took over her family's company.

Holly cast her a small smile, reading her expression. "Don't worry, you should be able to leave here soon. You look like you had a good rest."

She smiled weakly and handed a peeled potato to the woman, "Yeah, I feel better. When did I fall asleep?" Ruby asked as Holly clicked the television on, "I apologize if I was in the way. . ."

"I'm not sure, really," the elder woman hummed, "I came into the living room yesterday afternoon and you'd already passed out on the couch. How long has it been since you'd had a good sleep?"

"Since the mission," Ruby sighed, "ugh, I still hurt all over! I can't _wait_ to get home. . ."

Holly switched the channel to the News, "Speaking of which, do you know if your fiancee received your letter?" Ruby perked up at the mention of her beloved, the grogginess she was feeling flew to the back of her mind. She shook her head, replying that she'd asked about it and the letter hasn't been sent yet. Holly frowned, "You could just give her a call?" She suggested and Ruby sighed.

"I lost my scroll during the mission."

"Why don't you use mine?" Ruby glanced at the woman in surprise and the woman gestured to the kitchen, "I don't mind! It's on the table. Give her a quick call."

"Thank you!" In a fury of rose petals, Ruby had bolted from the couch and grabbed the scroll. She dialed Weiss' number and took a seat at the table, waiting almost impatiently to hear Weiss' voice. Two rings in and the call was answered, the smile faded from her lips when a man answered. Strange. . . "Hello, I'm Ruby Rose. I was wondering-"

_Beep._

"What?" Ruby whispered, "They just hung up. It wasn't even Weiss. . ." She tried calling again, only for it to return to the homescreen. "It's like there's no signal," she muttered as she set the scroll down, "Weiss never leaves her scroll unattended, much less allow somebody else to use it, it took her years to trust me with it."

"Hey, Ruby?" Holly called from the living room and the young woman returned to her, "Do you know anything about this?" Ruby glanced at the holographic television and frowned as a familiar mansion came into view.

The camera switched to Jacques Schnee and Ruby felt irritation prick inside of her at the sight of him; he was wearing what was supposedly a proud smile, but all Ruby saw was the malicious smirk he was hiding beneath.

_"What do you have to say on your daughter's engagement?"_

Ruby frowned in confusion and leaned closer to listen, narrowing her eyes and waiting to burn the man's words into her brain. He'd never approved of her relationship Weiss, he'd tried many times to discreetly get rid of Ruby and often tried to talk Weiss into leaving her. It was always something about the company, saying how their marriage would taint their name.

_"I've got to say, when Liam came to me wanting my blessing to marry my daughter, I was quite surprised!"_

Jealousy boiled inside of the young woman, "Who the fuck is this Liam?" She seethed, her silver eyes burning into the screen. _And why is he marrying _my_ Weiss?_

_"Once they marry, the Schnee Company will be stronger than ever!"_ Of course it was about the company! What else would it be? He'd never cared about Weiss' happiness. . .

Annoyance flickered through the reporter's eyes, _"I'm sure it will be. . . Where is your- Oh here she comes now!"_

The camera turned to Weiss, who was approaching the scene. Her fiancee's long white hair was undone and cascading down her back like a waterfall, a sight Ruby herself rarely ever saw. Weiss' dress was a simple midnight blue, causing the color of her hair to pop and stand out even more. Looking closer, Ruby noticed that the jagged scar across her eye had been covered, made to look as though it'd never been there in the first place. Why did it look like she was dressed for a date. . .?

_"Ms. Schnee, we're all dying to know! How did he propose?"_

If she had not already had Ruby's full attention, she did now. _Yes, how did _he _propose? _Judging by her fiancee's response, she'd be able to tell lies from truth. Weiss wouldn't just forget about her within the span of four days, would she? They'd been together for five years, there's no way Weiss could've hid the truth from her that long.

Unless she could . . .

Ruby never had a clue of what happened while Weiss was in Atlas, she'd always return home closed off and quiet. She wouldn't tell her anything, she just insisted that she'd be alright. Ruby felt her heart tightened inside of her chest, waiting for Weiss' response felt like an eternity.

She seen something briefly flash through Weiss' eyes through the television, but Jacques cut her off before she could speak. _"He invited her out to dinner, and beforehand, he had the staff decorate their table for them. He proposed in front of the entire restaurant." _Relief washed over Ruby like a wave. Weiss wasn't cheating on her. . .

The crimson-haired woman took a second to examine her fiancee, watching as the forced smile fell from her face and her light blue eyes glanced towards the ground. _"Yeah, it was. . . Breathtaking." _Lies.

She wasn't happy. All of this was simply for a rise in status, to keep them at the top. Realization dawned on her when she read the pain in her partner's eyes, "I- I've got to go." Ruby muttered, "I need to get to Atlas. She needs me." It made sense now; the letter didn't even leave Mistral, and the call she'd made had been blocked.

They didn't want her contacting Weiss. . . The mission, the Grimm, the arranged marriage. . . It'd all been set up; the system had been rigged into a solo mission, lying about the size of the nest. Had she not been desperate for one last hunt with her fiancee the plan would have worked, she would be dead. _Well, I'm not dead._


	8. Frustration

:TRIGGER WARNING:  
!Panic Attack!

-  
All of these seemingly useless flashbacks you're seeing, just keep an eye on my stories. . . You'll see where they come from some time or another.

* * *

**[Weiss] **

This was not where she wanted to be today. . .

The day after Liam arrived, Weiss had been dragged out to dinner with him and his family, her father was accompanying her simply for the attention he would receive. Probably to make sure she didn't ruin his plans, too, whatever they were, all she knew was that they involved her being married off to a complete stranger. Thankfully Liam seemed nice enough, perhaps she could tolerate a life with him. She'd much rather prefer a life with someone else, though.

Having zoned out from the conversation, her icy blue eyes trailed towards a woman and her husband seating themselves across from them. Her heart tightened in her chest and her hand instinctively moved to her stomach, watching as a young child climbed into the chair in front of the unnamed woman. The man gave his wife a kiss on the head before sitting beside her, they met eyes and Weiss glanced away. Those people were _happy, _they were married and they had a child together. They'd built a life together. . .

She and Ruby were wanting to build a life together, they had already purchased their first house, and. . . They would've had a child on the way, they would've been married.

_"I like Celeste."_

_No. Stop._ Weiss remained calm, trying to tune herself back into the conversation. Liam was watching her, she could feel it, and so was her father.

_"Where did that come from?"_

She could feel her chest tightening and her world became blurred, everything around her began to spin. Despite the tightness in her chest, her heart was pounding and she could feel it. It was not a pleasant feeling at all. . . What was happening?

Weiss closed her eyes and attempted to get herself together before her father noticed, if he hadn't already. Images of her team, friends, and Ruby flashed through her mind. _I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! _This was all her fault, she'd let her die!

_Calm down. Calm down. Calm-_

"Don't. Touch. Me!" She roared when a hand was placed on her shoulder. The young woman spun around in her chair and stood to her feet all in one move, her sight was unfocused and disoriented, but blazed with hostility. Who was she snapping at. . .? She couldn't tell, everything was just a mix of colors and shapes. She was gonna die. Everything hurt, she couldn't see, it felt like her heart and lungs were being crushed, and why the hell was she so lightheaded?!

"_Weiss_," her attention snapped towards the voice, just barely recognizing her name, "sit down. _Now_." She was trembling, and she could feel her body heating up from the adrenaline. Weiss didn't take the time to try and register the stern voice, her first instinct was to run, to get as far away as she could. She allowed her feet to carry her away from the scene, she didn't stop to respond to the incoherent sounds clearly being directed towards her.

Her world was still spinning, causing her to briefly lose her balance and latch onto a railing. She was outside. . . When did she get outside, and where was she? It didn't matter, she had to leave. Wait, what was she fleeing from again. . .? Weiss opened her eyes again, only to feel another surge of panic wash over her when she seen the shapes of people walking by, some stopping to stare at her.

Weiss' breathing was quick and labored now, her body was trembling and her heart was racing, she couldn't tell whether or not her throat was dry, but it did feel that way. Everything started to sink and lower to the ground, was she falling?! On instinct, she jerked as an attempt to catch herself. The world stopped, save for the shapes and figures moving about, she pulled her knees to her chest and buried her face between them.

She heard somebody yelling, but stayed rooted where she was. She kept her eyes closed, hoping that when she opened them again everything would be back to normal. But the _noise_. . . Was it getting louder-

"_Get_. _Up_." Somebody grabbed her arm, making no move to pull her up. She could feel the tension, though. They were ready to snatch her to her feet if she didn't comply. She was being attacked. . . Weiss ripped her arm away from the person and scrambled to stand up, putting distance between her and her attacker. Should she run, or should she fight?

Run.

Why she chose that option, she would never know, but she turned away and ran as quickly as she could. Why was there so many people?! She needed to get out of there, she needed to escape and find a quiet place. By now, she was hoping she would die. It felt like her body was failing her, trying to shut down on her.

_HOONK!_

Weiss whirled around, finding herself standing in front of what she made out to be a vehicle. Her feet moved again, carrying her away from the scene. What was a car doing in the middle of the street?! The noise had made her heart pound faster and her world began to spin once more, the shapes and figures turning into colors again. Instinctively, she reached out for anything to hold onto, but there was nothing there. She shook her head, clearing her vision just enough to realize she was in the middle of what looked to be an alleyway.

It was dark. Quiet. . . She had to hide. After a few seconds, she slid down against a wall and returned to her fetal position, trying to block out the world.

A few minutes passed and she lifted her head up, thankful that her vision had somewhat cleared and her head was no longer spinning. Her heart still thudded in her chest, making it difficult for her to breath. She was still trembling and shaking, she felt cold despite her body being coated in a layer of sweat and the excess adrenaline pumping through her veins.

Shaking her head, she glanced around to examine her surroundings and she found herself in the alleyway between two apartment buildings. The smell was horrid and burning her senses,

Wait a moment, she'd been with her father, she was having dinner with Liam and his family. . . _Oh Gods, what have I done?_

She shakily rose to her feet and dusted herself off, hesitantly making her way out of the alley and into the street. One glance down the road caused her heart to jump to her throat and she drew in a deep breath to compose herself; there was a familiar white vehicle parked and waiting for her.

The door opened as Weiss began to approach the car, she prepared herself to come face to face with her father's disappointed and annoyed scowl. After all, she'd disrupted the dinner and caused a scene, embarrassed him in the public eye.

Though, the person stepping out of the car was not her father. . .

"Winter?" She whispered, letting herself relax as she came to her sister's side, glancing up to meet the taller woman's gaze, "What are you doing here?" She asked quietly when her sister offered her no response, instead gesturing for her to get inside the vehicle.

The ride back to the mansion was completely silent, Winter didn't even spare a glance towards her younger sister and instead kept her attention focused outside. Irritation practically radiated off of the woman, but her expression remained calm and collected. Winter must have seen everything. . . Of course she was disappointed, all of her lessons about teaching Weiss how to keep her cool had been thrown out the window.

Her body suddenly felt heavy, as though her heart was weighing her down. Weiss' shoulders slumped and she leaned against the window, drawing her attention away from her sister to allow her mind to wander and carry her away from reality. The exhaustion from the adrenaline that had been pumping through her veins having finally caught up with her, she closed her eyes.

Within moments, the humming of the vehicle had lulled her to sleep.

_"Ruby Rose! Just where in the world are you taking me?"_

_She was being lead down behind the school and into the training grounds, her world was going by in blurs of colors and shapes, she could just barely make out her location. They were leaving school property. She recognized this path, it was the same one she and her girlfriend would take whenever they ditched classes! They hadn't been down here in months. . . The brush had grown so much more taller in their absence, making it difficult for them to run through with little to no noise._

_"You'll see!"_

_Ruby's voice. . . Weiss glanced up just as Ruby released her hand, her light blue eyes met with Ruby's wide, joyous pair that shone just as bright as the smile Ruby was wearing; one would have to be blind not to see the affection in the younger girl's gaze. Love. Love for _her_._

_Butterflies swarmed inside of Weiss' stomach, her whole world slowing down and fading to black. All she could see was Ruby. . . Until the brat decided to disappear into a flurry of rose petals and ruin everything. Weiss blinked herself back to reality, glancing around for her girlfriend. She would have been _just fine _staring into those beautiful silver eyes, but no, now she was alone. Weiss sighed and nonchalantly reached out to catch a few of the floating petals, she watched as they faded away in her palms and allowed the smile she'd been suppressing to come to her lips._

_The smell of roses lead her down further into the forest, following the trail of petals dissolving into the air. They seemed to be leading her somewhere, or rather Ruby was leading her somewhere, with the way they were flowing back in her direction. The moment she stepped out into the clearing, the scenery changed and she opened her eyes again._

_She heard Ruby's voice whispering to her, but she couldn't make out the words. . ._

_She was being touched. . ._

_The touch was familiar, causing electricity to roll through her as calloused fingers caressed her skin as gently as possible. There was a dull throbbing inside of her head, but the sensation soothed her and she relaxed, her eyes glancing around as color came into view. She found herself gazing back into Ruby's eyes again, this time her expression was soft and affectionate._

_Weiss opened her mouth to whisper something to her, she wanted to reach up and touch her, but her body was completely immobile. "Don't move," the girl whispered and Weiss felt quiet as one of Ruby's hands moved up to her face, her finger briefly ran over the jagged scar across her eye, "close your eyes."_

_She didn't want to._

You'll leave me. You won't be here in anymore. . . _Weiss only continued to watch her, now fully aware that this was not reality. She forced her arm up, feeling as though she were lifting dead weight, and cupped the girl's cheek. _Don't leave me, please don't leave me. _Ruby said nothing, instead sliding her hand back down again, and this time a cold, hollow feeling was left inside of Weiss instead of warmth._

_"Close your eyes," Ruby repeated, "I've got you, you're safe. . ." __The world was fading. Ruby was fading. . . __She was awaking up, she didn't want to wake up. "I love you, my Princess." Ruby wasn't there. . ._

"We're here." Her eyes opened again, but this time she was back inside of the car and parked outside her father's mansion. She blinked the sleep from her eyes as the door was opened and she stepped out, trying to reel herself back into full consciousness. Weiss followed her sister inside quietly, avoiding eye contact with her.

Ruby's voice and touch was still playing inside of her mind, she longed to close her eyes again and return to that world. If it meant having that again, she didn't want to ever wake up.

Winter stopped, "I'll inform Father that I've picked you up, I'll meet you in your bedroom. . . We need to talk." Without another word, Winter disappeared down the hall. _She still didn't tell me why she's here._ Judging by her sister's voice, Winter already knew what had happened. . . Word got out quick. Weiss hesitated for a brief moment before quietly making her way to her bedroom, keeping her eyes glued to the floor for a reason she couldn't explain. Her body still felt cold and hollow, as though there was nothing left inside of her.

Might as well be, though. . . Her life had changed in a blink of an eye, one moment she was preparing for a wedding with somebody dear to her heart, and the next she's right back where she started. There was just no use in even attempting to break free again. . . She would always come back, he would always drag her back under her control no matter how far away she ran.

Honestly, what had she been expecting? Her life had been planned out from the moment she was born; hell, they were probably even planning when she was conceived! She'd been a fool to think she could gain control over her own life. . .

"There you are, sister. I've been searching everywhere for you."

Irritation pricked inside of her chest and her brows narrowed, she slowly turned around to face none other than her little brother approaching her. Why did they only meet in the hallway? Actually, a better question: Why was he looking for her? "I heard what happened at the restaurant with Father, that must've been so embarrassing." Well that explains it. . .

_Not really._

"It was more humiliating for Father than me" Weiss replied bluntly, "what do you want?"

Whitley shrugged, "Oh nothing, it's just that we haven't spoken since you returned home." She could live with never speaking to him again, it wouldn't hurt her one bit. "I was trying to find you earlier, but you were not home." Her brother's expression became one of a familiar practiced look of sympathy, one that she despised. "Father informed me of the miscarriage you suffered, I've come to offer my condolences."

His voice lacked warmth and consolation, his words were completely empty. He couldn't care less, and it was clear on his face. Weiss rolled her eyes, turning away from Whitley, "Thanks," she whispered underneath her breath.

"Father said you were in mourning. . ." Although her back was turned, she could see the sneer he was wearing, "The girl I understand, such a pity, too. She seemed quite strong. The baby, however. . . I am just curious; how could you possibly mourn for a child you didn't even know you were expecting?"

Red clouded her vision and she slowly turned back to face him, narrowing her eyes as pent up rage boiled to the surface. "You little. . ." The glare in her brother's eyes was challenging, daring her to come towards him, practically begging her to attack. She couldn't physically harm him, it would get her into more trouble than she was already in. Though, what did she have to lose?

She still couldn't injure him. . . Scare him? Sure.

"You know," oh there he goes again, "I think you should give this Liam guy a chance." As he spoke, a glyph appeared behind him and the form of a Beowulf rose from as quietly as possible. The summoned Grimm stood watching her, and waiting for her command. "Besides, you don't really have much of a choice, do you?" Okay, that was uncalled for. Biting back a comment, Weiss glanced up and gave a brief nod.

The wolf released a low growl and confusion and fear crossed through Whitley's eyes, as though trying to comprehend what he'd just heard. He turned around just as the wolf opened its jaws, baring its fangs at him as its lips pulled back into a snarl.

"Okay," Whitley muttered, stepping away from the Beowulf, only for it to come closer, "you can call it off now, Weiss. . ." Oh he was trying so hard to remain calm and collected, as though he was still in charge. It was almost funny. The fear plastered across his face, all while-. . .

A cold wave washed over her; what was she doing. . .? Why was this amusing. . .? She shook her head, the Grimm dissolved into the air as she turned away to head to her bedroom. Whatever Whitley hollered at her fell deaf on her ears, she didn't care enough to ask him to repeat either.

* * *

**[Ruby]**

_Of course_ they would try and stop her from leaving. . . They claimed she wasn't in good enough health to be out there on her own, saying that her aura was damaged and it affected her semblance. It was all true, yes, but she wasn't worried about herself anymore, she would seek proper medical attention once she was in Atlas and had Weiss back. Like hell she was just going to sit around and 'recover' while the love of her life was being forced into an arranged marriage! She had seen in her eyes, Weiss wasn't happy at all. . .

She stuffed another water bottle into her bag filled with food that would hopefully hold her over, a change of clothes she'd bought the day before, and tools to fix her weapon in case it was broken. It wasn't exactly as advanced as Crescent Rose, so it was bound to have some problems. . .

Ruby glanced over to the television, noticing that the ridiculous advertisements had gone off and the news had returned. Her father was passed out on the couch, his snoring was thankfully tuned out by the noise coming from the holographic screen. What did old people find so interesting about the news. . .? The only time she paid attention was when something dramatic happened, that's when it's interesting.

Ah well, everybody was asleep, it was time to make her escape.

Ruby lifted the bag off of the table and hooked it across her shoulder, she attached her temporary weapon to her side and quietly made her way to the door. She hadn't even touched the handle yet when her feet suddenly moved her towards the TV, the mention of her fiancee's name having caught her attention. Ruby stopped, watching as the footage recorded from a bystander's scroll was played, and her heart tightened inside of her chest.

Weiss was standing in the middle of a restaurant, everybody's eyes turned towards her. She was panicked, her body automatically having taken her fighting stance, and her eyes were wild and scared, Ruby could see her chest heaving. The camera followed her as the alabaster bolted for the door, her father following closely behind her.

_Stay away from her. _Ruby growled silently, feeling rage build up inside of her when the video switched to another perspective taken from outside the building. Not much was caught on record unless it'd been edited out by the broadcasters. . . All they'd caught was the aftermath; Weiss running out into the street and nearly being hit by a vehicle before disappearing somewhere in the crowd.

Ruby didn't know what happened, she didn't particularly care either, all she knew was that Weiss needed her now more than ever. "Hang in there," she whispered, "I'll be by your side as quickly as I can. . ." She turned back to the door, speed-walking to it to save energy in case she needed to activate her semblance during an emergency. She opened the door-

"Ruby?" Her father was awake. . .

She closed her eyes, taking in a deep breath before opening them and locking with a groggy, yet stern, pair of dark blue. "I'm sorry, I just- I have to go, she needs me."

"I know you're worried about her, Ruby, but she'll be alright. What you need to do is-"

She was gone.

* * *

**If anybody has suggestions for Ruby's temporary weapon design and name, shoot 'em at me!**


	9. Loneliness

**HNNNG! Short chapter! Aaah, let me know what you think, anyway. . .  
**

* * *

**[Yang]**

Yang had her fair share of young romances, most of them would be described as 'puppy love', though, but none of her past relationships lasted even three months. It was either because her partner wanted to get serious and she did not, a disagreement about their plans for the future, and her most recent one because she'd left for Beacon and her partner was unable to attend.

_"So, Yang, are you going to have a lil' school girlfriend or boyfriend at Beacon?" _Ruby had asked her as they packed to leave in the morning.

_"Not planning on it," _she'd replied, _"I want to focus on my career, first. Besides, I won't have time for romance."_

Yang's lilac eyes trailed towards her girlfriend seated in the hotel room sofa, her nose buried into a book she'd rented from the local library. Oh how wrong she'd been. . . A small smile tugged at the corners of her lips as her mind returned to the time she'd asked the other woman out; she'd practically been forced to by their other two teammates, but it worked out for the best.

Her heart ached inside of her chest, causing her eyes to sting with unshed tears. _"You helped me with Weiss, I'm just repaying the favor. Now, go ask her out, leader's orders!" _She'd been a stuttering, blushing mess when she'd finally asked Blake out on a date. She'd never been so nervous in those situations before! Ruby had rubbed off on her. Her little sister had grown up during their time at Beacon, having been put in charge of a team and sent out onto dangerous missions, having faced the shit life outside of regular combat schools throw at you. . .

Yang grit her teeth, anger bubbling up into her chest as a certain memory came to the front of her mind.

_"You'll protect her, right?" Yang whispered, approaching Weiss' side as she finished loading Myrtenaster with dust. The white-haired woman glanced over her shoulder, "I know she's fine on her own, but I can't help but to worry about her, you know?" Weiss hummed her agreement, clipping her weapon to her side as she turned to face her. "She's a Silver-Eyed Warrior, she practically has a target painted across her back."_

_"She'll be alright," the smaller woman replied, "this is Ruby we're talking about. Besides, it's not like she'll be alone."_

_"I know," Yang shrugged, "something just tells me. . . Well, never mind. Just, promise me you'll protect her, that you and her both will return alive."_

_Weiss stared at her for a moment, "I promise."_

She should have listened to her gut and convinced them to hold off on the mission, or to even abandon it entirely. Then again, that wouldn't have worked because Ruby would have reminded her that people's lives were at stake, reminded her of their jobs as huntresses and would have gone anyway. She'd put her upmost trust in Weiss when she'd asked her to protect Ruby, and logically she knew it wasn't Weiss' fault that Ruby was dead, but her heart told her otherwise.

Part of her wanted every memory of her little sister to be stripped away from the heiress, and that anger had briefly been shown when she was informed of what had happened to Weiss. The other side knew her teammate was grieving just as much as she was, so she'd come to accept the fact Weiss was not to blame. Although, she'll probably always hold her responsible in some way or another.

She'd trusted Weiss with her sister's _life_, and now she was dead. . .

"What are you thinking about?" She glanced over to Blake and noticed that the faunus had set her book aside, "Still thinking about Ruby?" Blake asked as she stood to her feet and approached her, climbing onto the bed beside the blonde. Yang hummed her response as her girlfriend set her chin on her stomach, her ears twitching when Yang spoke.

"Yeah, I just can't believe she's gone. . ." Blake watched her, "First Mom, then Summer, and now Ruby. She disappeared like Summer did, there was no trace of her. I don't understand." She still remembered Qrow returning home wearing the same expression Weiss had worn when she'd informed her of Ruby's death, she'd had to break the news to Ruby that her mother had passed. Now, she had to tell their father that Ruby was dead.

Blake hummed, "We all miss her, Yang," she whispered quietly, "she was one of my best friends, I almost considered her a sister." Yang sat up and Blake rolled to the side, "Yang, are you really sure you want to make the trip to Mistral?"

Earlier that day, they'd received a letter alerting them that her father had moved to Mistral with his new girlfriend and he wanted them to meet her. By them, he'd meant Yang and Ruby. . . "Yeah," Yang replied, "I need to. Have you changed your mind?" Blake had chosen to stay back in Atlas, despite the discrimination she would face, to support Weiss in case things went downhill. Judging by what had happened earlier, she was already in a bad place.

Frankly, Yang didn't care what happened to the white-haired woman at the moment. "You're more than welcome to come with me," Yang whispered almost pleadingly, worrying for her partner's safety, "you don't even have to ask."

Blake shrugged and sat up, "I'm not defenseless, Yang," she knew that, "I really do want to come with you, but I know Ruby wouldn't want Weiss left alone here. . ." Yang was aware of the promise her sister had made, but she failed to see exactly why Weiss couldn't be on her own. It wasn't like she was fragile. "She needs somebody here, someone familiar and close to her. I don't mind being that person."

She'd made up her mind. "If that's what you want. If something happens-" Blake cut her off.

"I'll give you a call, I promise. But we'll be fine, and if it helps, Jaune and his team will be arriving soon after you leave for Mistral, so I won't be entirely alone." Yang nodded, brushing her paranoia aside to trust her girlfriend.

"That's good to know. . ."

* * *

**[Ruby]**

"Hey! Hey, excuse me!"

She'd been on the move all night, fleeing from Mistral as quickly as she could. It was now almost sunrise, and oh how her feet ached. . . It'd taken her _forever _to find a nearby town. She should've brought a map with her, why didn't she think of that? She could have everything planned out, everything prepared, and she would leave for a mission - and forget a dang map. Weiss used to have to _triple check _to ensure she brought one with her when they'd moved in together, she sometimes included a spare in case Ruby somehow lost the one she'd given her.

"Yes Ma'am?" A man turned around to face her and Ruby smiled, she quickly asked where she could find a map and he gestured towards a hotel, "They usually keep some there for the travelers, like yourself." Ruby thanked him and he nodded, she rushed off towards the hotel and relief washed through her. Good, she wouldn't be lost! Sure, she could check her location on her scroll (if she had one. . .) but she could be in a place without signal, it's happened to her many times before.

Perhaps she should rest there, too. Ruby removed the lien from her pocket as she entered, quickly counting it to make sure she had enough to afford a Room. Her silver eyes scanned the hotel for the maps and grabbed one from the rack next to her. "Oh hello, do you need a room?" A lady at the counter caught her attention and Ruby approached her, setting the remaining lien down on the counter. "Room for one, correct?" Ruby nodded, "Alright!" The woman took the lien, skimming it before reaching into a drawer in front of her. "Do you have a scroll?"

"No, I lost it on my way here." Ruby replied and the woman handed her a card, informing her that it would work as a key and briefly explained how it worked to her. As if she didn't already know. . . She was given her room number, the second floor and room 117. Now that she had a chance, she took a moment to inspect the hotel; it seemed as though it were well-kept, but there was an odd odor in the air that she couldn't place.

Quietly, she made her way up the staircase towards the second floor and found herself standing in front of her room within minutes. Ruby unlocked the door and stepped into the small room, she closed the door behind her and examined the place she would be staying the night.

The walls were a pastel yellow, pleasing to the eye as it would not be too bright against the sunlight that would drift in through the lonely window in the morning. A single bed was placed in the middle of the room, a desk and a chair to the side of it while a TV stand sat across from the bed. To her right was the bathroom, which was a simple white with a tiled floor with the regular bathroom necessities.

Ruby sighed and hauled herself to the bed, taking one second to glance at the time before collapsing on the mattress. Not only was she exhausted, but now she was bored without her scroll or anybody to talk to. Well this was going to be a fun trip. . .

She rolled over onto her back and stared at the ceiling, remembering the first time she and her team were sent on a mission far from their school. They'd stayed the night in the first hotel they'd found, having rented a small two-bed hotel room had it's disadvantages; one of them being that they had zero privacy. . .

It was a miracle they hadn't been kicked out from noise complaints, _especially _considering the Bumbleby duo had gotten a little too frisky. Ruby had practically begged the hotel staff to escape it, and thankfully they'd been kind enough to give her a room to herself. Of course, she'd brought Weiss with her and the team remained separated, when at the hotel, for the rest of the mission.

The pillow fight they'd had while sharing one room was rather fun though, it'd started with Yang making an innuendo about the White Rose pair and Ruby stuffing a pillow into her face. Yang had grabbed her own pillow and defended herself, only for Weiss to come to her partner's aid. Blake had tried to stay out of it until Ruby had accidentally whacked her book out of her hands.

The fight had ended in destroyed pillows that Weiss had paid to replace, and Ruby may or may not have created Weiss a feather crown. . . Who even used feathers for pillow stuffing anymore? They'd looked beautiful on her, though. Yang had taken pictures of them and uploaded them to her Twitter account, much to her and Weiss' dismay. Ruby couldn't remember exactly what the pun was, but Yang had made one about the feathers they wore.

Having their own room had an advantage, though it did get lonely at times.

Ruby's eyes shifted to stare at the ceiling and she released a quiet sigh, closing her eyes momentarily before reaching over to grab the map sitting at the edge of the bed. She flipped it open and traced her finger from her location mark to Atlas, groaning when she remembered how far away she was. She was out of lien, too. Perhaps she could take up some small Grimm jobs around the towns she stopped and visited, use the lien for travel purposes such as hopefully taking the train so she wouldn't have to walk to Argus on foot. She'd also need money for the flight to Atlas. . .

If she hadn't lost her scroll, she could've made a call and had a ride waiting for her. Ruby let out another loud groan as a thought suddenly occurred to her: She could've called Yang and had her meet her somewhere! But nooo, the realization just had to hit after she'd left Mistral. She was out of Mistral, right? She eyed the map, finding that she was on the outskirts of the city, she sighed in relief; at least she'd made it this far. . .

* * *

**[Weiss]**

"You know Mr. Greer almost called the engagement off, correct?"

Weiss was seated across from her sister, whose icy eyes were locked on her with a stoic, almost unreadable expression. The older woman had entered her room and had coffee delivered to them, they'd sat in silence for the longest time until Winter finally decided to speak. Of course the first thing she said referred to Weiss' unwanted engagement. . .

The younger woman simply glanced up to her sister, her expression matching Winter's. "Yes," she replied dully, "but I don't care. I never wanted this." If her actions, despite them being unintentional, aggravated the Greer family, then she would do it all again to get rid of Liam.

Winter sighed and rubbed her forehead, "Weiss," she muttered underneath her breath, "I know you're hurt, but Ruby's dead. . . Liam seems nice, and he appears to care about you-"

_"No."_ Weiss snarled almost immediately, cutting her sister off, knowing exactly what she was suggesting. How _dare _she?! How could she even suggest that?!

Winter met her eyes again, it was as though she was challenging her. Normally Weiss would have stepped down, accepting that she'd been defeated and silenced when her sister sent her that glare, but the anger boiling inside of her prevented her from doing so. "Weiss, you cannot just sit here and grieve. You knew this would happen-"

That was it. Something snapped inside of Weiss and she was quickly on her feet, the bottled up frustration she'd been concealing had been unleashed. "So you get to act like your _entire _life was ruined because _he _left you, and because Father took your children away?!"

A few years ago, Winter had revealed to her that she'd been keeping a secret from her: she'd been expecting children. She'd refused to tell Weiss anything about the father, but all she knew is that he'd worked alongside her in the military and had fled when her pregnancy test came back positive. Weiss could only assume that the man was wanting to work his way into their family, but his plans were destroyed and he'd taken the first chance he seen to escape. Winter had triplets, one of which was born dead, the other given to a maid to take to the orphanage (the woman ended up keeping the child to raise as her own), and their father had taken her daughter to raise as a Schnee, telling Winter that she was lucky the child could pass off as a pure-blooded Schnee.

Her sister hadn't been the same since. Weiss barely knew her anymore, she'd never even been informed that Winter had been in a relationship, despite having trusted the older woman with hers. After years of hardly speaking to each other, Winter just walked in and began acting as though she cared about what was going on in Weiss' life.

"Weiss, that was unnecessary." Winter scolded, "Calm down and-"

"You expect me to just forget about her! How does that make any sense?"

"I'm not telling you to forget, I'm telling you that you need to move on, even if it does hurt."

"How do you move on from the person you were in love with for _five, __almost six,_ years?!" Weiss snapped, "I can't forget! All of this is my fault! Had I just kept up with my training, I could have protected her! I shouldn't have even agreed to go on the mission anyway!" Weiss paused, drawing in a deep breath to calm herself and glancing at the ring she wore on her finger, "We had a wedding to plan. . ."

Winter sighed from behind her, "I'll be in the lounge if you need me. . ."

Weiss looked back at the older woman as she approached the door to leave, "You still never told me why you're here." Winter met her eyes.

"Classified."

"As expected."

* * *

**I can't write for Bumbleby, and my writing inspiration is spent. Does it show? Ha! I know it shows. . . I'm sorry.**

**Context for the Winter part:  
**My friend has an OC they wanted added into the story, but not as a main character, just as a side character who assists with the final chapter. So we opted for a child belonging to Winter so that she had a blood relation to Weiss. She will be revealed here soon, but don't get attached to her, remember: She will be a minor character for the story like Rusty and Amra. I deeply apologized for all of the minor characters. . . And Liam.

**Team JN_P_R will be making an appearance in the next chapter!**


	10. Company

**Chapter 10  
**[Ruby]  
_Six days after the incident_

She'd overslept! Ruby had planned to be out of the hotel by eleven in the morning so that she could get a head start on her journey and hopefully pick up some small Grimm hunts along the way. She'd arrived at the hotel near 5 when the sun was just beginning to rise, it was now eleven-thirty and she'd planned to be out by ten, surviving off of five or less hours of sleep. That was fine, though. Her body was already accustomed to her wonky sleep schedule considering she was a huntress; the longest she'd ever slept in was the night of her engagement, that was only because she'd been exhausted from the night's activities. Her fiancée was insatiable. . .

Although, it had been the best sleep she'd had in years.

Finding nobody at the front desk to take her room key, Ruby glanced around for a worker. She should've left it back in the room, it would've been picked up by an attendant Maybe she could leave it on the desk? She wasn't sure what to do without her scroll. . .

"Are you leaving?"

Ruby turned around when she heard a masculine voice coming from behind her, she found a tall, lanky man with beige-colored hair and tan skin standing at the staircase with his arms crossed and a smile on his face. Her gut was telling her to turn around and walk out, put as much distance between herself and the man as she could. "Um, yes I am," she replied reluctantly, "do you know where I can find a worker? I need to turn my card in."

She didn't like the look in his eyes, "No," he came closer to her, "since you can't find anybody, how would you like to stay another night?" Ruby wasn't stupid, she knew exactly what the stranger was implying. "I can show you to my room?" He went to drape an arm around her and Ruby moved away.

"I'm engaged." She said bluntly, hoping he would back off, but he only came closer wearing a smirk that caused a wave of discomfort to wash over her. _Oh dear Gods, he's one of those guys. Why can't they just take a hint?_ When he got closer, she noticed that his breath reeked of alcohol.

"He doesn't have to know," he whispered seductively, making Ruby want to gag, "come on, it's just one night. Let me show you a good time, then you can return to your. . . beloved."

Ruby glanced down and raised a brow, noting the belt that he was wearing. An idea struck her and she smiled, "You know what?" She took a step towards him, tilting her head up slightly to meet his eyes. "Sure, why not? I haven't had a 'good time' in ages."

The man's eyes lit up and moved his arm to wrap around the woman's waist, Ruby had to resist the urge to pull away and deck him square in the face for daring to touch her. "I knew you'd come around! I'm going to do you so hard you'll forget about your fiancé."

She wanted to vomit right then and there, another part of her wanted to throw his arm off and stab the blade of her weapon into his stomach. She held back, knowing that she had to keep her composure so that she didn't destroy her career; attacking a defenseless man when he has shown no indication of harming her would not look good on her record. "Can't wait. . ." She whispered instead, swallowing the growl bubbling up in her throat.

Ruby followed him up the staircase, down the hall, and into the room on the third floor. The moment she stepped into the room, her senses were attacked by the stench of alcohol and cigarette smoke. How had this guy not been kicked out yet?! Ruby cast a quick glance to the bed, noting that the sheet was half pulled out from under the mattress and the blankets were in a pile on the floor. _Weiss would have a heart attack if she saw this._ The guy approached her again with a sly smirk on his face, his shirt was already unbuttoned. She frowned at him as he reached out to her, saying something that went unheard.

The moment his hand touched her shoulder, Ruby put her plan into action and activated her semblance. She snatched the sheet off of the bed and grabbed the man's belt, wrapping him in the sheets until he was fully immobile and tying his belt to the cloth. When she made a mad dash towards the door, realization struck her a little too late; the door was shut and she crashed through the glass. _Shit. . ._ Ruby stopped herself before she flew off the balcony and twisted her arm so that the man flew out the door behind her and over the railing. Ruby tied to the other end of the belt to the bars, a tug on the sheet reassured her that he hadn't fallen.

"What the hell was that?!" The man exclaimed in astonishment and fear, "Let me down from here, crazy lady!" Ruby glanced down at him and smirked when she noticed that he was upside down, his dark face turning red as the blood rushed to his head.

Ruby smiled and loosened the belt, "Well if you want down," she chuckled as the sheet dropped a little bit, the man swinging slightly, "I'd be happy to oblige." Really, she would love to drop him and watch him fall to his death, but that would be murder.

"No! Wait!" He panicked, lifting his head to look at her. Ruby raised a brow, "What the fuck is wrong with you?! I'm going to call the police for assault!"

Ruby couldn't help but laugh and examined the man's position again, another chuckle escaped her. "Oh really now? How would you do that? You're not exactly in a position to do anything," she reached into her pocket and carefully removed the scroll she'd stolen from him, "plus, I have your scroll." She wasn't going to keep it, she'd probably just drop it off at the front counter so he could pick it up later.

He scowled at her, "Fine! Get me untangled and I won't tell anybody what you did to me!" Ruby blinked at him, "Okay, whatever, I won't tell anybody what I tried to do. What is it that you want?" Ruby glanced back into the room and hummed thoughtfully. Although he was an alcoholic, he did seem to have quite a bit of money.

"I'm making my way to Atlas," she informed him, glaring down at the man, "give me just enough to reach Argus, and I'll give you your scroll back and I won't tell anybody what happened here." He huffed his agreement and Ruby pulled the sheet back up, unhooking the belt and allowing him to unwrap himself.

She placed his scroll on the bed. "You also need to tell your wife what you tried to do." He looked at her in bewilderment, "You have a ring on your finger," she pointed out as he grabbed his wallet, begrudgingly handing her the lien, she accepted it, "I know this qualifies as mugging you, so I sincerely apologize. It wasn't my intention at first, I just wanted to frighten you a little bit."

The man grunted, "Just get out of my room, you maniac."

Ruby rolled her eyes and turned to quickly leave the hotel room, shutting the door behind her and jogging down the staircase and into the lobby. Finding somebody at the desk this time around, Ruby slid her room key over to the room before slapping the lien down. "This belongs to the man in Room 361. I'd appreciate it if this could be returned to him." The woman smiled and nodded, apparently she wasn't exactly in the mood to be at work, but Ruby wasn't finished.

"The balcony door to Room 361 is broken, would you mind sending the cost of the damage to the SDC?" She asked and the woman grunted her response, "Alright, um, thank you!" Ruby quickly made her way out of the hotel and started down the sidewalk, heading out of the city. She removed her map from her bag and skimmed over it, sighing when she noticed that she still had a ways to go.

_I'll get to Argus somehow. . ._ Glancing towards the sky, her heart dropped inside of her chest, _I hope I won't be too late. . ._ The thought of Weiss marrying this 'Liam' fellow caused rage boil inside of her, quickly followed by heartache. He wouldn't cherish her like she would; she'd be lying if she said she didn't fear losing her beloved to somebody who'd simply use her for her family name.

Jealousy burned inside of the young woman.

_He_ would never know how beautiful those light blue eyes were when they lit up with pure joy, he would never see her heart-stopping smile, he'd never hear the sound of her laughter. A smirk came to the woman's lips; he would never meet her Weiss. All he knew her as was the perfect daughter who did absolutely nothing wrong and went along with what everybody said, and that's all he'd ever see her as at this point.

Ruby glanced up as she left the little town, walking out of the city and onto the dirt road leading her into the countryside. She fiddled with the ring on her finger, her thoughts running as she tried to think of a quicker way to get to Atlas. She could go with her previous plan and take on a few small Grimm hunts, but she didn't know how long that would take. She also didn't know when the wedding would be, all she knew was that she had a limited amount of time to get there and steal her Princess away before it was too late.

Her silver eyes flickered to her ring and she smiled, Weiss had insisted she wear her own engagement ring and purchased one for her. Ruby made sure that it was kept clean and polished as she didn't want anything to happen to it; the golden band was flawless, save for the bit of dirt that she would have to wash off later, and there were only a few nicks in the red rose adorning the ring that she'd received from her fall, the ring was topped off by a sapphire diamond placed in the center of the rose.

If she knew her fiancée, the ring was probably custom-made. It was beautiful. . . It made her heart skip a beat every time she looked at it; perhaps she could still wear it after they received their wedding bands?

_"Ruby! I've been looking all over for you!"_ Yang's voice rang in her head and the image of her younger self flashing her brand new engagement ring came to her mind, she proudly announced that Weiss had gotten her a one to match her own. Well, sort of, but she got it. _"Oh, Ruby. It's gorgeous! Oh my Gosh. . . I still can't believe my baby sister is engaged!"_

Wait for it. . .

_"Let me get this gay - heh, get it? Weiss has a snowflake ring and you have a red rose ring. It's so perfect! So what name are you two taking? Schnee? Rose? Schnee-Rose? Rose-Schnee?" Yang smirked and Ruby glanced at her, unsure of what to expect. "What about. . . Schnose."_

_Really, what should she have been expecting? "Yang. Stop."_

Weiss' voice replaced her own and Yang's and Ruby's heart filled with affection as the memory washed over her, _"I kind of like the sound of Weiss Rose. . ."_ She'd never forget the shock she'd felt that day, she'd been so happy that her fiancee was willingly giving up her name, a name she'd fought so hard to restore the honor to, for one with no fame or riches to it. Of course, she made sure Weiss was one-hundred percent positive with her decision before finally agreeing with her, the white-haired woman was insistent.

_I hope she still feels that way. . ._

A few hours later, Ruby found herself trudging into yet another small town she had not seen on the map. This one seemed rather old, the roads were dirt and the buildings were made of wood, but still seemed to be very well taken care of. Upon closer inspection, the town seemed to be deserted, abandoned. Oh great, she'd wandered into a ghost town; ghost towns seemed to be the perfect location for a Grimm nest, or a hideout for the White Fang.

Though the White Fang had been cleared out almost a year ago, their allies and former members still roamed Remnant and caused unnecessary chaos. It was like all of their common sense flew out the window when the group of terrorists had been disbanded, not that they had much anyway.

Ruby withdrew her weapon from her bag, clicking a button on the staff so that a thick blade shot out from under it, the pole retreating back into a pistol-like form. There were bound to be Grimm in there area, there always was when an area was abandoned.

The smell of smoke drifted into her nose and Ruby shifted her attention to a thin train of smoke rising into the air over a building she assumed was once a hospital. Ah, so the town was recently abandoned, maybe she could scavenge for supplies if the area was vacant of Grimm.

A low growl came from behind her and Ruby released a sigh, turning around to face an approaching Beowulf. _Why is it always Beowolves? _She thought as the young Grimm padded closer, parting its jaws and snarling as countless more wolves seemingly came from out of nowhere. _They should know by now that they don't stand a chance. _One of the young, black wolves pounced at her, roaring as it extended it's claws and aimed to swipe at her.

Calmly, Ruby thrust the blade upwards and decapitated the Grimm with ease, letting it drop to the ground; it disintegrated into black smoke and Ruby faced towards the rest of the pack, "Alright, let's get this over with." She sighed, activating her semblance and barreling towards them in fury of rose petals, ripping the thick blade through the wolves' soft skin, tearing them apart limb by limb. The feeling of her weapon slicing through skin and bone was not unfamiliar to her, she hardly even noticed it anymore.

Fighting young Beowolves who had not yet grown their armor was a decent warm up, but Ruby preferred more of a challenge. Ruby's eyes glanced to the last few surviving wolves and chuckled, young Beowolves were relentless and didn't know how to stand down, they would fight until their entire pack was destroyed. Kicking the last standing wolf, disarmed, to the ground and her weapon to pistol mode, Ruby waited just a brief second before shooting it through the mouth.

The crimson-haired woman sighed, attaching her temporary weapon back to her side.

A rustle and the sound of metal hitting the ground caused her to whip the weapon back out, clicking it back into the sword-mode as she started towards the noise. It sounded like it came from inside a building, was there another wolf hiding in there? Ruby whipped around the corner, switching the weapon to the pistol in one swift move, preparing to shoot at a Grimm.

Ruby lowered her weapon when her silver eyes met with a familiar blue pair, she frowned in pure confusion. "_Jaune_?"

Jaune grinned, "Hey! Guys! I told you I heard somebody!" He hollered back through the building, "It's Ruby!" The woman put her weapon away as the rest of team JNPR entered the room, the look of bewilderment on Pyrrha and Ren's faces matched her own. "I knew she wasn't dead!" Jaune exclaimed.

"Of course she isn't dead!" Nora laughed, throwing an arm around Ruby, "This is Ruby Rose we're talking about! She's practically invincible! I didn't doubt her for a second!"

"I don't understand," Pyrrha muttered as Nora returned to Ren's side, "we looked for you everywhere. Where were you?"

Ruby sighed, falling into the floor and leaning against the wall to rest her body. "I don't know, actually. All I remember is taking out the Deathstalkers, an Alpha Beowulf showed up, and suddenly I was in a cave." She glanced over to Ren and Nora, the image of a pink and green airship came to mind. "Was that your airship I saw?" She asked quietly as Jaune took a seat beside her, activating his semblance to check her aura. He muttered something about her aura being low and overworked, but Ruby ignored him.

"Yeah! Weiss called us to help look for you since Blake and Yang were still on their mission!" Nora explained, her face turning into a frown, "But we couldn't find you. . . Ruby, Weiss thinks you're dead."

"Last I heard, her father forced her into an arranged marriage the day after you supposedly died." The pink and green duo took a seat across from her.

Ruby growled, "I know, it was all set up." JNPR's faces twisted into confusion.

"How?" Pyrrha asked, and Ruby began to explain.

* * *

**[Weiss]  
**

Weiss hadn't stepped out of her bedroom since Winter left late that night, she'd tried to go to sleep many times and relax her tensed body, but the nausea rolling inside of her prevented her from doing so. Why did she feel so ill? Perhaps she'd eaten something bad at the restaurant? Probably, but why would it be affecting her now?

The woman stopped in her tracks as a brief pain nudged at her abdomen, she grunted and forced her body forward again. Had she not yet recovered from the miscarriage? It'd been three days since she'd lost her baby, and maybe her brother was right. . . How could she grieve for a child she never even knew? She hadn't expected the experiment to work, she hadn't had time to develop an attachment to the unborn, so why did it hurt so much?

It'd been almost a week since Ruby died, so she should be over it by now. Right?

_"You cannot just sit here and grieve."_

That's exactly wanted to do. She wanted to shut the world away, break contact with her remaining friends, call the arranged marriage off, and lock herself in her bedroom. She wanted to break, she _needed _to break, but she couldn't. . . She had a reputation to uphold, her family's legacy would soon be passed down to her if she could keep her damn emotions in check.

_"How could you possibly mourn for a child you didn't even know you were expecting?"_

The thought of becoming a mother made her heart flutter with happiness, but also twist in fear that she would become her parents. Ruby made sure to remind her that she would be nothing like them, promising her that she'd be with her every step of the way.

Weiss paused and drew in a deep sigh, letting it out slowly as she swallowed the nausea bubbling up inside of her throat. She was restless, but she also felt so worn out that she could fall asleep the moment her head hit the pillow.

She shook her head and glanced to her window, the rays of the morning sunshine pouring into her isolated bedroom and illuminating it. A knock at her door caught her attention and she sighed again, "Enter," she muttered as formally as she could manage and the door slid open, "good morning, Klein. . ." Weiss smiled weakly as the short man entered.

"I believe it's time for your fitting, Miss Schnee." He offered her a kind smile, but Weiss just frowned.

"My _what_?" A scowl replaced her frown as irritation pricked at her chest. "He chose my wedding dress?" Of course he did, why wouldn't he? The wedding would be rushed as her parents and Liam's are planning everything, they were expected to roll right along with it. If they decided the wedding would take place within the next few weeks, then there was no stopping it.

Reluctantly, Weiss followed Klein out of her bedroom, not bothering to ask him to wait outside and change into a presentable outfit. She'd just be changing into her wedding dress, noting any required alterations that would need to be fixed before the wedding so that it properly fit. She would return to her room afterwards, ignoring any further demands from her father.

Whatever the butler said to her fell deaf on her ears, but she glanced up to find that she'd been lead to a guest bedroom where some of the house staff was waiting for her. Her eyes drifted towards the white silk wedding dress draped across the unused bed and her heart fell; the sight of the dress slapped reality into her face once again.

Ruby was gone, and she was marrying a man whom she did not love.

This was her reality now. . . She had to accept that.


	11. The First Surprise

**Check the bottom for the notes.**

* * *

**Chapter 11:  
**The First Surprise

"It's too loose, tighten it."

Weiss sucked in a breath as the gown tightened around her waist, almost squeezing the air out of her. It was slightly difficult for her to breathe, but she wasn't going to complain, it would only backfire on her. She glanced over to her mother, who had been asked to survey her wedding dress, and their eyes met briefly. She looked away quickly as the woman spat out another order, the faint smell of whiskey floated around the room, but as far as she could tell, the elder Schnee was sober despite reeking of alcohol.

"The sleeves are slacking off of her shoulders, this should've been fixed hours ago!"

"But, ma'am, all of this will be altered before her second fitting. . ." Weiss shifted her attention to the maid who stood beside her, momentarily caught off guard when the middle-aged woman dared to speak to her mother. This was really going to end well. . .

"The wedding is next week, everything has to be perfect. So remove the dress, fix the sleeves, add more lace, and for the love of the Gods tighten the corset!" The older woman snapped, her hands waving in frustration and the maid reluctantly pulled her gown tighter, whispering an apology to Weiss when she just barely managed to bite back a whimper of discomfort.

Just down the hall, Weiss heard her father hollering for her mother and she glanced over to the woman. Her mother's face now lacked emotion and her eyes were cold, "Do what I told you to do." She muttered bluntly to the maid before stiffly walking out of the room, leaving Weiss alone with the staff. Her eyes trailed to her reflection in the mirror and she heaved a sigh; in another situation she would have said that she loved it, her reflection glowed with radiance and beauty, but she couldn't bring herself to enjoy the image that was staring back at her.

The corset was loosened and the air returned to her lungs, causing a sudden wave of nausea to barrel over her. Weiss leaned against the desk, clutching her chest as the pressure slowly disappeared. "Ms. Schnee?" The elderly woman asked worriedly, "Are you alright? Should I fetch a doctor?" Weiss shook her head and closed her eyes, "What's the matter, are you not feeling well? We could-"

"Leave me." Weiss ordered quietly once she was able to breathe properly again and the nausea had subsided, she opened her eyes and glanced at the older woman who seemed hesitant to leave, she offered them a small smile, "I'm fine, really. I probably just ate something bad."

Weiss waved her hand to dismiss them and the women left the room and she undid the wedding dress, sliding it off of her shoulders and folding it neatly.. After placing it back on the bed, Weiss took a step back and observed the gown, releasing an annoyed huff when she noticed a familiar snowflake etched into the chest of it. This was not the dress she'd wanted. . . The design was elegant and breathtaking, yes, but it screamed 'Schnee'.

"Of course it would," she thought out loud, willing away her nauseousness, "why wouldn't it? 'Only the best for my precious little girl'," she mocked her father, gritting her teeth and snarling at nothing in particular, "I didn't want this!" Weiss let out another annoyed huff and tossed the corset onto the bed, she grabbed her clothes, changing back into them before stepping outside of the room.

Just as she began to head to her bedroom, a voice caught her attention. "Ah, I was just about to check up on you." She glanced up to see Klein coming down the hall, "I was informed that you're not feeling well?" The middle-aged man asked worriedly and Weiss offered a smile, Weiss replied with a quiet 'I'm fine' and started down the hall, "Ms. Schnee," she glanced over her shoulder, "your fiance requests your presence." He seemed to hesitate on the word 'fiance', "If you're ill, I could tell him that you're unable to meet with him."

She shook her head, "I'll be fi-" Weiss paused, closing her eyes, she knew exactly what he wanted "yeah, that would be best, thank you, Klein." Weiss had overheard her father and Liam discussing an engagement ring the night before, Liam wanted to see her that he could present the ring to her and she would be asked to toss the other one away.

She couldn't do that. It'd probably cause another heated argument between herself and her father, but she really couldn't bring herself to care anymore. What else did she have to lose?

Weiss didn't spare the man another look and continued down the hallway to her bedroom, trying to keep her breathing under control and bottle everything up again. Her hand shook as she placed it on the door, her eyes glanced to see that it'd been cracked open and she frowned. Who would've came into her room. . .? She'd specifically ordered the staff to stay out, certainly they wouldn't disobey an order, right? Weiss pushed the door open and cautiously stepped inside, she scanned her bedroom for anything out of the ordinary. Everything seemed fine.

'That's weird.'

Weiss shrugged and closed the door, she quickly changed into her nightgown and locked her door before closing the curtains. She didn't feel like meeting Liam, she didn't feel like doing anything at all. She'd put on a brave face and had forced herself to get as far as she was now, she kept everything bottled up and she could feel it bubbling to the surface each time she stepped out of her bedroom. She felt her chest tighten and the woman released a shaky breath, "I can't, I can't do this. . ."

The wedding takes place next week? That was too soon, it was right around the corner! Everything was moving too quickly. . . Weiss sagged down next to her bed, she pulled her knees to her chest and rested her head against her bed, she closed her eyes.

Knock knock. "Ms Schnee?"

Go away! Just leave me alone! Weiss opened her eyes and glanced towards her door. "Yes?"

"Mister Greer is waiting for you." The woman on the other side of the door informed her, "He wishes to see you as soon as possible and won't take no for an answer." Of course he wouldn't, men didn't seem to understand the definition of the word 'no'.

She wasn't doing this today. "Tell him that I said I don't feel well." It wasn't a complete lie. . . She still felt nauseous and fatigued. "Bring my dinner up to my bedroom, please. . ." Relief washed over her when she heard the woman walking away. Weiss had no intentions of leaving her bedroom for the rest of the day, she couldn't push through it and put on an act anymore. The next coming week, she would be marrying a man she didn't love and would be expected to provide him an heir.

Bile rose up in her throat and the woman swallowed hard, trying to dismiss the image from her head; she would shove Myrtenaster through Liam before he even began to think of laying his filthy hands on her.

"Her appearance is perfection, but her physique. . . I do hope the children inherit most the Greer family genes."

Weiss had never been self-conscious about her build before men began to court her, they would always compare her to her mother and her sister, but would find her general appearance 'beautiful'. Though, they always said that it would be better if she looked like the rest of her family so that she would be more desirable. At first, it didn't bother her too much as she'd convinced herself that she wasn't finished growing.

Their words still rang in her head. . .

"Perhaps it would be wise to consider an implant? Certainly your family could afford such a thing."

"Your sister is just. . . Wow! So, um, what happened to you?"

"Hmm. . . Not much to look at, but you are definitely beautiful. I suppose I could settle for this."

A small smile came to her lips when she remembered Ruby's words to her, she'd washed away her insecurities with three simple words; "You look gorgeous." Ruby hadn't cared about sex appeal, she only cared about Weiss and she showed it as often as she could, "Don't listen to those voices, Princess, it doesn't matter what they think. I love you."

She would never hear those words again. . .

"What did I do?" Weiss whispered to nobody in particular, "What did I do to deserve this?" She'd just wanted a life with Ruby, with her friends, she wanted a life where she had freedom, that's all she'd asked for. Was it too much. . .? Was she being greedy? Did she take it all for granted? She must have, why else was her happiness stripped away from her? "Was it really necessary to take my baby as well?"

Weiss lifted her head when she heard another knock at the door, she rolled her eyes and opened her mouth to ask who it was and what they wanted this time, but she was cut off. Her blood turned to ice when she heard her father, "Open the door, Weiss." He wasn't happy. . . She could hear the rage burning beneath his practiced, worried voice. Cautiously, Weiss stood to her feet and approached the door, her hand shook as she placed it on the door knob.

Deep breath. . .

Weiss opened the door with a soft 'click', her eyes trailed up to meet her father's eerily calm gaze and her chest grew heavy. She immediately glanced behind him when she heard Liam speak and irritation boiled inside of her at the sight of him, "Your butler informed me that you were not feeling well, so I brought the doctor. . ."

So why was her father here?

"I was concerned, so I decided it would be best to accompany them. I asked Mister Greer to come with me," he looked back at the young man, "certainly he must be worried about his fiancee." Liam met his glare and Weiss noticed him stiffen ever so slightly, he nodded once and Jacques turned back to Weiss. "Let's see what the problem is here. . ."

He walked inside of her bedroom and Weiss just barely managed to bite back a growl as Liam followed him in. Get out. This is my room. You don't belong here. Get. Out. Hesitantly, she took a seat in the nearest chair when the doctor gestured for her to sit down. "I'm fine, really." Weiss muttered as the man removed his Stethoscope and pressed the end against her chest without warning. Bastard. After a minute, he withdrew it and met her eyes. "Can I go now?" She highly doubted it. . .

"How have you been feeling recently?" The man asked curiously, furrowing his brows as he examined her, causing more frustration to boil inside the young woman. Weiss glanced towards her father and Liam, hesitant to answer in their presence; one word wrong and her father would be furious. . . "Do not lie to me, Ms Schnee." Weiss fixed her gaze on the man again and her chest tightened at the same time nausea took over.

Depressed. Angry. Miserable. "Well," she started carefully, gripping the armrests tightly. Her grip relaxed, "I do feel kind of unwell, but I probably just ate something bad." She could feel her father glaring at her, clearly offended, "For some reason, everything smells rather strange, now that I think about it. . ." She'd smelled breakfast cooking somewhere in the mansion when she'd followed Klein to the spare bedroom, she'd also rejected the meal as the smell made her nauseous. "That's normal when you're ill, though." She was pretty sure.

The man squinted, "Do you feel as though your senses have heightened?"

"Maybe a little?" She wasn't sure. . .

The doctor glanced back at the two men in the room, "Would you mind waiting outside?" He asked politely, ignoring the brief scowl on Jacques' face, "It's important." Without a word, the CEO and Liam walked out, Liam casting a worried look in Weiss' direction in which Weiss responded with a slight sneer. The doctor snapped his fingers to get her attention when the door closed, "Alright, Ms Schnee, I want you to answer honestly."

Was she not already?

"Is there any chance you might be pregnant?"

Oh he had to be joking. "Please tell me you're not serious," the woman muttered bluntly, "I know very well that you were informed of my. . . My miscarriage." Weiss almost choked on the word, just barely managing to get it out as she concealed the despair rising up inside of her. My baby. . . Perhaps if she had rejected the hunt, she would still have the baby, Ruby would be alive to help her raise their child.

"Well, yes," the man replied cautiously, "but from what you explained to me and what I've seen for myself, you're experiencing pregnancy symptoms. Morning sickness, nausea, mood swings, not to mention you don't look like you've eaten very well for the last few days."

She couldn't take this. . .

"Maybe it's just my body refusing to accept that I lost the baby. . ." Weiss shrugged, turning her head away from the doctor, "I know I'm not pregnant, there's no way."

"Actually," she glanced back to the man, "there is a possible way. . ." What kind of sick joke was he playing? Hadn't life already caused her enough pain? What the hell did he want from her?! "Perhaps, you were expecting twins. . .? You lost one baby, but not the other. Sometimes this is mistaken for Vanishing Twin Syndrome." He definitely wanted something, but what? Did he want to watch her drown in her own grief like everybody else? Weiss could feel her body beginning to shake.

The man continued to speak, "A miscarriage while carrying twins is often mistook as Vanishing Twin Syndrome, but that is when the vanishing baby disappears and is absorbed by the mother and it's twin. A miscarriage is never experienced as the body and the other baby absorbs the vanishing one. For an actual miscarriage, sometimes women experience a miscarriage for one baby and the other makes it to full-term and lives a healthy life." The doctor smiled at her, "This means you could still possibly be pregnant. I do not expect you to believe me just from an assumption, maybe you should pick up a pregnancy test next time you're in the city."

"Good."

The man left and Weiss rose from the chair, peeking outside of her room and sighing with relief when she noticed that her father and Liam were nowhere in sight. She closed the door and locked it again, thankful to be alone for once. Weiss' eyes trailed towards the suitcase she'd set in the corner of her bedroom and carefully approached it, she knelt down and unzipped the front pocket. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt to check. . ."

She'd be lying if she said she hadn't been hoping the experiment would work, so she'd went ahead and purchased a box of test strips the day after she and Ruby had discussed it. Weiss flipped the box and scanned the expiration date, "They should still be good. . ." She whispered, opening the box and removing a single strip, "I'll prove you wrong." She dropped the box back into the front pocket and zipped it shut, Weiss stood and quickly made her way to the bathroom.

A small part of her hoped that the assumption was true, but it couldn't be, he probably just wanted to give her false hope. Weiss closed the bathroom door with her foot, something she'd picked up from living with Ruby for so many years, "There's no way. . ." She whispered to herself.

Thirty minutes later, Weiss was leaning against the door with her knees pulled to her chest and her arms wrapped tightly around them. Tears were burning at the edges of her eyes, a few escaping and rolling down her cheeks, she blinked to clear her vision and lifted the strip again. Two bright pink lines stared back at her, causing grief and pain to tear at her heart.

"How?"

* * *

**_What I explained through the doctor is something I have been researching since chapter 4._**

**_A woman can be carrying twins and miscarry one while the other makes it to full term, and sometimes a woman will be expecting two babies and one will suddenly vanish, that's Vanishing Twin Syndrome as no miscarriage is experienced. _**

**_No, I did not suddenly spring this on you all. I have been dropping small hints everywhere since chapter 8, I've tried not to make it too obvious or too subtle, I'm not good at this though. XD_**


	12. I'm On My Way, Wait For Me

**Chapter 12**

**Ruby  
**Location: Outside of Mistral, with JNPR

* * *

"I have a better question," Nora interrupted before Ruby could start her story, "where the hell did you go? We looked for you. Everywhere! You were gone, it was like you vanished off the face Remnant!"

_'Didn't you just say you never doubted me for a second?'_ Ruby met the woman's eyes, "I already explained that, did I not?

"I think she means 'what happened', Weiss was too panicked to tell us." Ren furrowed his brows as Jaune and Pyrrha's attention turned towards the young woman, "She does have a point," Ren muttered quietly, "why did you leave Weiss' side?"

Ruby hesitated, "I-. . . I panicked, Weiss was so out of practice and she was already struggling with the ones we had. So, I thought that maybe I could lure them away from her until she regained her energy, I didn't want anything happening to her. When she wasn't paying attention, I activated my semblance and bolted right into the middle of the herd.

"They chased me towards the edge of a cliff, and I was cornered. One Deathstalker is already hard enough to bring down, but a whole herd?" Ruby shook her head, "I heard Weiss calling for me, so I shot a few bullets to let her know where I was, but the Grimm heard her too. . . They started heading for her. I didn't know what to do, I just knew I couldn't let them reach her. . ."

"Ruby," Ruby glanced up to look at her friends, who were staring at her with a puzzled expression, Pyrrha was the one who had spoken, "Weiss is a trained huntress. She would've been fine, just because she's a little rusty doesn't mean she's fragile." The redhead explained gently, placing her hand on the young woman's shoulder. "Have a lil' faith in her."

Ruby smiled, "I do have faith in her, I trust her with my life," the smile faltered slightly, "but I didn't want her to be at any risk. I wouldn't have convinced her to accept the mission if I had known it was rigged."

"How was it rigged, exactly?" Jaune asked in confusion,

"Ah, right." Ruby laughed, "A small nest of Deathstalkers was reported to have been growing dangerously close to a small town outside of Mistral, but the Grimm were a good piece away from the town. It didn't seem like any of them had left the territory for a while, either. . . Weiss and I noticed that there was a small pack of _Beowulves_ that was a little too close, but we were informed that they already had somebody who would clear them out soon."

Ruby's brows furrowed. "Why would somebody report _Deathstalkers_ terrorizing the town when it was wolves? Why say it was a small nest of them when it would've taken a whole team to take them down? Why not ask a team of huntsman from _Mistral_ to take the job instead of us? I don't think that it was a coincidence that Ozpin asked us to clear them out. . . It would've been so much easier to ask someone from around the area to take the task, but the mission was reported to Ozpin and it was 'urgent'."

She looked up again, irritation flickering in her silver eyes. "And it just so happens that we were chosen for the task, Ozpin knew that we had a wedding to plan and that Weiss was preparing to take over the SDC. Somebody must've specifically asked for us, Team RWBY, to take the mission, because I don't believe Ozpin would've asked us otherwise. You know what makes it even more suspicious? The day after I supposedly died, Weiss was brought back to Atlas and forced into an arranged marriage.

"Her father never liked me, he made that clear. Did you see the announcement of the betrothal? He looked _pleased_ with himself, like he knew something that nobody else did! The asshole has acquaintances all over the world, he can get away with anything and remain anonymous!"

Ruby shook her head, clearing her thoughts before the rage completely took over. She sighed, "He kept saying Weiss would grow tired of her 'games', and he wasn't too happy to hear about our engagement. So, he decided that he was going to get rid of me since Weiss wouldn't. . ."

"I can't believe he would do that!" Pyrrha exclaimed when Ruby finished her story, the redhead's eyes were wide in disbelief and shock, "We knew that he never liked you, but trying to kill you is extreme." Nora and Ren nodded their agreement, "What kind of father tries to get rid of the person their child loves?" Jaune reached over and squeezed his girlfriend's hand.

Ruby shrugged, "It was all for a rise in power, to keep the Schnee name at the top." She explained briefly, standing to her feet, "He couldn't accept that his daughter had fallen in love with a 'commoner', so he decided to do something about it and get rid of me." The woman's expression hardened, "It almost worked. . . But I'm still here, and I need to get to Atlas as quickly as possible."

Jaune stood to his feet and came to Ruby's side, "So," he smiled, "what are we waiting for?" Ruby glanced at him as Pyrrha, Nora, and Ren stood up, "Let's go get your girl back!"

Joy swelled inside of Ruby's chest and tears stung at the corners of her eyes, "Really?" She whispered hopefully, "You'll help me?" It was a stupid question, she knew that, of course they would help her. They were her friends.

"Uh, yeah," Nora rolled her eyes, "why wouldn't we? Weiss loves you, and you love her, right? If it takes crashing a wedding and breaking some legs to get you two back together, so be it!"

"Thank you," Ruby smiled, turning to Nora, "but we're not breaking any legs. I'm going to try and settle it as peacefully as I can." She wasn't in any condition to be fighting, her aura was already low from consistently healing her injured body. "I'll fight if I have to," she muttered reluctantly, "I would rather avoid violence."

"That's so you," Jaune chuckled, "all right, let's get moving. But, Ruby, I'm going to have to amplify your aura a little bit, at least until you can get some medical attention." Ruby spun around to look at him, but when she went to protest, he cut her off instantly, "I doubt Weiss would want you showing up on her doorstep half dead."

He was right. . . "I need to be in full health in case anything happens, I know," she muttered, "but what about the wedding? I can't-"

Pyrrha cut her off, giving her a gentle nudge for Ruby to follow her, "We'll take you to Weiss and go from there," all eyes turned to her, "that's your top priority. Besides, if I know you, you'll find your way to her whether we like it or not. You've never been one to follow the rules."

"You're right," Ruby closed her eyes, releasing a deep sigh, "I'm good with that decision, just so long as I get my Princess back. . ."

Nora giggled from beside her and Ruby glanced at her friend, "You say that like you lost her," the redhead smiled, "kind of funny, actually."

"The airship should be right through here," Jaune called back to the group as they exited the building, he lead them into the forest, "we tried to hide the airship the best we could since there are still terrorists around- ah, there it is!" The blonde man exclaimed as he brushed a few limbs out of the way to reveal a small pink and green airship sitting in a shaded clearing.

Ruby frowned, "Exactly how did you get it in here?" She whispered, approaching the ship behind Jaune and Pyrrha. Nora bounced to her side and grinned.

"I have my ways." The redhead sing-songed.

"I'm not even going to ask. . ."

Ruby paused as her friends boarded the airship, Pyrrha turned and headed for the front with Ren close behind her. "Could you inspect the ship and make sure nothing is damaged on the outside?" Jaune asked, "We had a rather rough landing." Ruby nodded silently and set her bag inside, she stepped out and walked around the ship, giving it a quick examination. It looked alright, save for the few dents it'd obviously received from being used in battle.

"Looks good!" Ruby reported as she walked inside, the door closed behind her and the woman took a seat on the nearest bench, Jaune sat down beside her as the ship took off, Jaune's hands glowed white and it spread to her shoulder. "Somebody said it was broken," she informed him, "I honestly thought my hip would've been busted too, but it was just severely bruised."

Jaune glanced at her, "I'm surprised your condition isn't any worse, you got out with only a broken shoulder and a few bruises? That's impressive!"

Ruby couldn't help but snort, "Impressive you say, Weiss would give me the scolding of a lifetime for being so careless." Her gaze shifted to the window behind Nora, a small smile came to her lips when she saw trees moving outside. They were heading to Atlas. . . She was finally on her way. . . _'Wait for me, my love, I'll be there soon.'_ She closed her eyes, _'I'll never let you go again.'_

"She has a point!" Nora laughed, Ruby opened her eyes and fixed her attention on Nora, "Like Pyrrha said, Weiss is a huntress. She could've just summoned something and would have been fiiine."

_'She wouldn't have had time. . . I couldn't let her get hurt.'_ Ruby shrugged, choosing to keep her thoughts to herself, "I suppose. . ."

A small smirk crossed Nora's lips, "Hey, Ruby?" The woman glanced up to her friend, "I've been meaning to ask," she didn't trust the smirk on the redhead's face at all, "how's it feel to go down on Weiss?"

Time stopped.  
Ruby's heart stopped.  
Was she breathing?  
She wasn't breathing.

"Uhhh. . ." Ruby's eyes shot to the ship's door. Was it too late to jump out?

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Nora's grin widening, "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't take you for a bottom, allow me to rephrase," Ruby cringed, "how does it feel to have _Weiss_ go down on _you_?"

"I-I-I um, well you see, the thing is, I-. . . She doesn't-. . . We-"

Jaune cut her off, his voice pained as he spoke, "I know who's 'top' and 'bottom'. . ." He muttered, his face twisted in disgust and regret, "No matter how many times I try to erase that image, it'll never leave." Ruby bit her lip and whispered an apology to her friend, who just grumbled in response.

"Yeah," Nora chuckled, sitting back and crossing one leg over the other, "he goes and buys a new scroll every time he forgets his somewhere."

"I have my reasons!" Jaune snapped in embarrassment, Nora smirked and leaned forward a little bit.

"So, when are you going to tell us the juicy stuff?"

Ruby coughed, "Okay! Change of topic, anybody?"

* * *

**Yang**

Location: Mistral, Tai's house

_'How do I say this?'_ Yang stood outside the cabin her father had given her the address to, she was stiff and her heart was racing a mile a minute. Her dad was on the other side of the door, completely unaware that his youngest daughter had been killed, and Yang was the one who would have to break the news to him. How was she supposed to do that when she had trouble accepting her little sister's death?_ 'I wish Blake had come with me. . .'_ The blonde's hand trembled as she placed it on the door to knock.

_'Hey, Dad, just wanted to let you know that Ruby's dead.'_

No, she couldn't say that.

_'Well, you see, Dad, Ruby was kind of. . . um, killed.'_

That wouldn't work either.

Yang shook her head and rapped the door, standing back and waiting for it to open. She steeled herself, trying to burying her grief and rage so that she could remain cool and collected when the door unlatched. Her lilac eyes met with a pair of unfamiliar green and she received a warm smile, "You must be Yang," the woman spoke, stepping aside to let her in, "your father is in the shop, make yourself at home, I'll let him know you're here." Yang nodded and entered the house, the woman shut the door and quickly walked away.

The blonde closed her eyes and drew in a deep sigh, she stiffly took a seat on the couch and braced herself for the inevitable conversation. Maybe talking about it with her father would help her accept the loss and figure out where to go from there.

"Yang!" Yang's attention snapped up to see her father walking in wearing an oil-stained apron. His hands were greasy and black, but it wasn't an unusual sight. The woman from before appeared beside him and Tai smiled, "Yang, this is my girlfriend, Holly."

Holly extended her hand as Yang stood up, "I'm happy to have finally met you," the woman grinned, "your father talks so much about you and your sister."

Yang felt like an arrow had struck her through the heart and she heaved a sigh, "Yeah, um," she glanced at her father, "Dad? Can I speak to you in private?"

Uncertainty flashed through the man's eyes and he nodded, whispering something to Holly before gesturing for Yang to follow him to the back room. Yang set her suitcase down next to the couch and followed the man, "So, what do you want to talk about?" Tai asked as he turned to her, taking a seat in his chair.

Yang hesitated, trying to piece together how to word everything. How does one tell their father that he'd lost another family member? His daughter, out of all people. "Well," Yang sighed shakily, "Dad, it's about Ruby. . ."

The man just smiled, leaning against the table behind him and propping his arms up. "Oh, did she get back to Atlas? That didn't take long, but then again, she did leave in a hurry."

What in the world was he talking about? Yang's brows furrowed in confusion and she shook her head, "No, no, that's not it," the woman had to take a minute to recompose herself, her father watched her quietly with a concerned expression, Yang finally met his eyes again. Time stopped for the blonde woman, the world fell silent and all she could hear was the pounding of her heart.

Everything started fading around her and she found herself standing in front of her own house, Weiss to her left, holding a familiar red cloak. _'Yang, I'm so sorry. . .'_ She was about to break the news to her father, just like Weiss had done to her. _'Ruby's. . . Gone.'_

"Dad. . . Ruby's dead." The words slipped out before Yang could stop herself and she tore her eyes away from her father, her body was trembling again and tears rolled down her cheeks.

"What happened?" Yang looked up and noticed that her father was wearing a curious frown, grief was not written on his face anywhere. She'd broken him, he was so empty that he couldn't even shed a tear. "Do you know how she died?" His voice was so eerily calm. . .

Yang sighed and collected herself, preparing herself to tell the story. She would make it as brief as possible, she had to, she didn't know if she could handle the full version again. "She and Weiss went out on a mission," she began and Tai raised a brow, "they were supposed to clear out a nest of Deathstalkers, and they did, but. . . Ruby lost her life." Yang had to force the last part out and she bit back a choked sob, "I'm sorry, Dad, I shouldn't have-" Tai just smiled across from her and Yang growled, "Why are you smiling?! Ruby's dead! She's-"

"Yang, I thought you had more faith in your sister," the man chuckled in amusement, "Ruby's alive, she was just here a few days ago."

"What?"

Tai stood up, making his way to the front of the house again, "She showed up looking for a temporary weapon, we tried to convince her to stay and heal, but she took off two days ago while I was half-asleep. The girl's desperate to get back to Atlas, there was no stopping her. She should be halfway there by now."

'Ruby. Alive. Atlas.' That was all Yang heard. Her father spoke confidently, he was so sure of himself. Realization dawned on the young woman and joy swelled inside of her chest, she reached up ad wiped a few stray tears away, heavily sighing in relief. Her little sister was alive, she'd probably flown right over her on her way to Mistral. "I'm sorry," Tai turned back to Yang, "I know I just got here, but if Ruby's really heading to Atlas. . . Then I need to see her."

Yang grinned at her father, "I'm sorry," she apologized again, still wearing a smile, "I promise I'll come back in a few weeks and next time I'll stay longer." She grabbed her suitcase as she approached the door, "It was nice to meet you, Holly!" The woman just waved as Yang ran out the door, digging her scroll out of her pocket and speed-dialing Blake's contact as she practically jumped onto her motorcycle, she set the scroll in the center and started the motor. Years ago, Ruby had attached a handmade 'Scroll Holder' (as she'd jokingly called it) to her motorcycle after Yang lost her old scroll during a mission. It came in handy.

"Blake!" Yang exclaimed the moment her girlfriend picked up, she pulled out of the driveway and turned onto the road, ignoring the honk that came from behind her. "You won't believe this! Ru-"

"Ruby's alive? I know." Blake sounded smug. Was she serious? Did everybody except her know Ruby was alive? Oh for Dust's sake. . .

"What."

Blake laughed over the call and Yang's heart fluttered, "Ren called me, they found her a few hours away from Mistral," Blake informed her, "they're on their way to Atlas right now. I was just about to call you."

"I'm on my way."

* * *

**Yang and Blake know Ruby's alive! Everybody's heading to Atlas! Rigged mission was explained! Ruby's about to get her girl back! Yay!**

***sobs in corner* I had to force myself to finish this so I can complete the story. . .**


	13. Spiral of Emotions

**TRIGGER WARNING:  
**Brief mention of abortion.

* * *

"So you're really pregnant. . .?"

Weiss lay curled up on her bed, her scroll sitting on her pillow next to her with Blake's contact information shown on the holographic screen. She hadn't known who else she could talk to, and Blake was always there when she needed somebody. "According to the test strips and the doctor, yes." Weiss replied quietly.

If her father found out, he would be_ furious_, she wouldn't be surprised if he forced her to abort the unborn. She also couldn't allow the information to be leaked as the betrothal would be broken (actually, that's not a bad idea) and if word got out to the public, there was no doubt that she would be labeled a 'whore' by society for 'cheating on her fiancé'. Sure, she could lie and say that the baby belonged to Liam, the people would believe that, but her baby would be born without resemblance to the Greer Family. . .

Her father would demand for a DNA test to find out who the child's father was, and when the results came back. . . He would try to take her baby from her, deeming her unfit to raise her baby. _'What if they're born with silver eyes? What if he tries to kill my baby? Would he do that. . .?'_

"I don't know either," Blake whispered back, her voice heavy with stress and concern, "you can't just walk out the door, they think you're ill." The faunus was quiet for a moment and Weiss felt dread wash over her, "Do you know how far along you are?" Blake asked softly as though somebody was listening.

"No," Weiss muttered painfully, "but if I had to guess, four or five weeks. . ."

Silence fell upon them again and Weiss drew in a shaky breath, pain, panic and grief clawed at her chest mercilessly. Why was Fate so against her? What had she done? Every sliver of happiness she'd ever had was always snatched away; Ruby had died, Yang pretty much hated her despite forgiving her, she lost her baby. . . Now, it was only a matter of time before she lost the remaining twin. "Blake," a slight 'mhm' was her response, "I don't know what to do. What if he told Father? What if. . . What if he takes my baby away from me? I can't lose-. . . I'm scared."

"See if you're able to leave the manor," Blake spoke slowly and quietly, "come by the hotel if you can. We'll figure out what to do from there, it'd be easier to discuss it in person. Bring some clothes with you, just in case." Her friend's voice told her that there was little to no room to argue, and it was certainly better than staying locked up in her bedroom all day trying to avoid her family and Liam. "Hold on, I'm receiving another call," Weiss sat up when Blake spoke again, "call me if you get out of the manor."

"Okay." Weiss replied shortly, ending the call and shutting her scroll, "okay. . ." The woman placed a hand on her stomach and breathed in deeply, trying to rid herself of the brewing anxiety. "Everything's going to-" She slumped to her knees and balled her fists, heaving as tremors rolled through her body. Her heart felt like it was slowly being crushed and she couldn't breathe. '_Calm down. . .'_ Weiss forced herself to rise to her feet, _'I have a baby to protect now, I can't let my emotions get the best of me.'_

Weiss stiffly moved to her dresser and pulled it open, her eyes instantly found the familiar rose pin and her engagement ring. Hesitantly, she picked the pin up and slid her ring on. "I really hope Blake has a plan," she whispered gently, sliding her thumb over the polished badge, "you always did. . . You knew exactly what to do."

Protectiveness washed over the young woman and she reached up to clip the rose into her hair; it really wasn't as heavy as it looked, it weighed a little bit more than her regular, but she could get used to it. _'I'll protect our baby,'_ Weiss shut the drawer and turned away, glancing to the suitcase in the corner of her bedroom, _'I won't fail this time. I swear on my life.'_

She was about to escape her family's manor and run from her impending wedding. . . A small smirk crossed her lips, "That's more like it," she whispered to herself, wondering why she hadn't thought of this sooner, "what's life without a little bit of risk?"

"Ms. Schnee, your mother and Mrs. Greer request your presence in the lounge to discuss wedding decorations." A woman called to her from outside the room, Weiss groaned quietly and informed the lady to tell them that she would be right there.

"I can't get an hour to myself?"

She would sneak out tonight, when everybody was asleep and she wasn't being bothered every ten minutes.

* * *

"So for decoration, what do you think we should go with?"

"Something white for sure."

"We could throw some green in there to represent our family."

"White and green don't clash all that well."

"Hmm, you're correct. . . Perhaps we should look at some other colors."

"Good decision."

Weiss sat with her legs crossed, watching as her mother and Mrs. Greer rushed back and forth between pre-ordered wedding decoration, occasionally getting into a squabble and reluctantly turning to her for her thoughts on it. The most recent disagreement was over whether or not they should have small candles or big candles, or even candles at all. She didn't get much of a say in what they decided unless there was a difference of opinion.

Mrs. Greer appeared behind her and Weiss glanced up, only for the older woman to tilt her head back down in slight aggravation, "Okay, so this was a completely random thought," the woman spoke, her voice raspy, "but what if we added a veil to the wedding dress to match the ceiling drapes?" Mrs. Greer hummed and Weiss tensed ever so slightly, "Hmm. . . In our family, a veil used to represent virginity, you know, before women decided to add it to their gowns 'just because they wanted to'. What do you think about it, Mrs. Schnee?"

Weiss just barely managed to bite back her laughter and keep a cool expression. Her mother glanced suspiciously at her before fixing her attention on the other occupant of the room, "Sure, I suppose we could incorporate some Greer family traditions. It only seems fair. Are there any more traditions you'd like to include?"

"I can't think of any more at the moment," Mrs. Greer said as she moved out from behind Weiss, "so it's a yes on the veil?" Willow nodded, "Alright, I'll step out and inform your staff. Where might I find them?"

"They should be in the kitchen at this time of day." Willow replied before turning back to Weiss as Mrs. Greer exited the room. Weiss met her mother's gaze and the woman raised a brow, placing a hand on her hip, "You smirked." She said plainly, examining Weiss as though she were trying to read into her deepest and darkest secrets.

"Did I?" Weiss propped her elbow up on the arm of the couch, tucking her hand under her chin. "I don't remember."

Willow's gaze hardened and irritation flickered across her face, she drew in a breath and recomposed herself, "Tell me, did you allow that dyke to touch you inappropriately?"

Weiss allowed a smirk to grace her lips, she moved her hand down to her heart in mock offense, "Who me? Do something so indecent before marriage? Oh I would never." Anger flashed through Willow's blue eyes and Weiss leaned forward, the smirk seemingly widening, "Can you imagine being touched so delicately, treated as though you're the only person on Remnant who matters, and having all of your worries and burdens melt away under their touch?" Weiss chuckled, "It almost sounds like something so unrealistic that it's straight out of a book, right?"

Before her mother could respond, Mrs. Greer reentered the room muttering incoherent swears as she approached them. She stopped beside Willow, "They said they can't do it!" Weiss raised a brow, "Insisting that it would take too much time since the wedding is next week!" Weiss' stomach fell into a bottomless pit, allowing the words to process as the world slowly deafened around her.

The wedding was next week, they were planning the wedding. . . It was literally just around the corner. _'I don't want this. . .'_ Weiss willed away the tears threatening to spill and recollected herself, now feeling empty, as though her meaning for life was forcibly stripped away. _'A marriage would be what's best for my baby, that way my little one could grow up with a family. . . The Greer family seems nice enough, they would treat the child well, and Liam hasn't done anything for me not to trust him. . .'_

If the ceremony was next week, perhaps she could pass it off as Liam's baby after the wedding? _'I don't want to go through with it. . . I don't love him, I don't even know him.'_ Weiss slowly lifted her gaze to the other women in the room, who had busied themselves with more decorations, _'This is supposed to be my wedding. . . My friends should be helping me, Ruby and I would've discussed everything revolving around decorations and theme. . . We both had so many ideas. She was so excited. . .'_

"Weiss, are you alright?" Weiss' vision cleared and she found Mrs. Greer standing in front of her with a worried expression, "You were crying and you look ill, are you in pain? Should I fetch the doctor?"

Weiss shook her head and dried her tears, "No, ma'am," she replied, glancing towards her mother, "Mother, may I leave?" She asked quietly, Willow nodded hesitantly and Weiss stood from the couch, whispering to Mrs. Greer that she would be alright before heading to the door. _'I feel like I'm betraying my Ruby. . .'_

Closing the door behind her, Weiss released a heavy sigh and leaned against the wooden frame, "I'll be okay," she whispered to herself, "you'll get out of here. . ."

"Who will get out of here?"

Weiss' eyes snapped down to a young child standing beside her, teal-blue eyes staring up at her quizzically, "Wisteria," she greeted quietly, offering her niece a small smile, "I didn't see you standing there."

"I just got here," Wisteria smiled, leaning up on her tip-toes and rocking, "I was looking for Mother." She was looking for Willow. . . "But since you're here," Wisteria's eyes lit up, "could you go out to the garden with me? I wanna play with Mavi, but Father said I couldn't."

_'You sneaky child.'_ Weiss chuckled, placing a hand on the child's platinum hair, "Of course," she whispered, "but be quiet, okay? Father has been in a bad mood recently."

Wisteria nodded and whirled around on her heels, strolling away with Weiss following closely behind. "Mavi said he would bring some toys for me to play with this time! His Mommy said I could have them if Mother or Father agrees, I really hope they do because I get very, very bored sometimes. . ." Weiss rolled her eyes in amusement as the child chattered on, her voice echoing down the long and empty hallways as they approached the garden. So much for quiet. . .

"Hey, Sister!" She looked down at the little girl, "Do you have a best friend? Mavi is my best friend."

_'He's your brother.'_ Weiss shrugged, "Yeah, I do have a best friend," she replied as Wisteria pushed the door leading to the garden open, refusing to accept help when Weiss offered, "why do you ask?"

Her niece turned to face her after scanning the open area for her friend, "Because I remember you coming home with somebody, she was really nice! So were the other two, but you didn't hang out with them much." Wisteria tilted her head, "I haven't saw her in forever, where is she? Is she okay? You seemed sad when you got home, I wanted to ask why, but Father wouldn't let me."

_'Ruby. . .'_ Weiss stiffened as Wisteria skipped out into the garden, glancing around again and sighing in defeat. "My best friend won't be coming back," Weiss finally said after locking her emotions away, her voice heavy with grief, Wisteria's brows furrowed, "she's gone. . ."

Realization flickered through the child's eyes and Wisteria hung her head, avoiding eye contact with Weiss. "Oh." Wisteria wasn't stupid, and Weiss was thankful she wouldn't have to explain anything, "I'm sorry, Sister."

"It's alright. . ." Before Weiss could say anything else, a voice called out to them.

"Wisteria!" Weiss looked up as Wisteria whirled around, she smiled when she noticed a boy around the same age as her niece rushing up to them, he stopped in front of them and his dark green eyes looked up at her, "Hello!"

"Hi," Weiss greeted with a small smirk, "you got here fast, where's your mother?"

Mavi shrugged, "Mommy's working, so I asked my new friend to bring me!" Weiss immediately looked up and frowned at the sight of Liam standing a few feet away with a nervous smile on his face. "His name is Liam! Liam, meet-"

"We've met," Weiss muttered in irritation, giving Wisteria a gentle push on her back, "go on and play, but don't ruin any of the flowers. Flora wouldn't be happy, and neither would Mother." Without hesitation, the two children bounced away, Weiss turned back to Liam and crossed her arms, frustration brewing inside of her chest, "What were you doing with Mavi? Why aren't you with my Father?" She asked and Liam hesitantly took a seat on the bench next to her, glancing towards the children so that he didn't have to make eye contact with the woman.

"Well, your father was ranting to my Dad about something, and I didn't want to disturb them. All I heard was something about payment for a hotel being put under their name, and a call from Mistral, he kept muttering 'that Rose girl' as though-"

_'Wait, what?'_

"Rose?" Weiss cut him off, finding herself standing in front of him with her hands in fists, she drew in a shaky breath, "What do you mean he kept saying 'that Rose girl', what payment? What call? Are you sure it was from Mistral and not Mantle?"

Liam blinked at her, "Um," he looked around quickly, "yeah, it was from Mistral. He said that they had a call come in a few days ago, and recently received charges for damages to a hotel room if I remember correctly. I didn't understand the rest because your Father and my Dad started speaking in hushed voices, I don't think they wanted me to hear. All I caught was something about a rose and a girl, why?"

_"I should have gotten rid of that Rose girl long ago!"_

Weiss' eyes glanced downwards and she took a step away from the man, her mind racing as she struggled to process everything. Her heart jumped to her chest, she wanted so badly to believe that her fiancee was alive, but it just didn't make sense. How? She'd heard her scream, she'd searched everywhere. She'd even reached her aura out to find her, but was unable to locate her. No, it had to be Yang, she was in Mistral, it couldn't be Ruby. . .

"Weiss?"

"I'm fine. . ."

_"I don't think he likes me very much." Weiss looked up as Ruby entered the room, shutting the massive door behind her, "He acts like he wants me dead." The older girl set her book down and opened her arms as Ruby approached her, the brunette climbed onto the bed and leaned into her girlfriend's embrace. Weiss chuckled as the young leader buried her face into her neck, "Weeeiissss, I don't like it here!"_

_"Then why did you insist on coming with me?" Weiss asked gently, resting her back against the headboard behind her. "You're the dolt who threw her suitcase onto the airship and climbed in with me at the last second."_

_Ruby huffed, "I didn't want you to be alone, you come back from Atlas depressed and moody every time you head 'home'. I wanted you to be happy this time." The girl sat up to meet Weiss' eyes._

_"Aw," Weiss chuckled, reaching up to flick Ruby's forehead playfully, "you're sweet. Anyway, what do you mean by 'He acts like he wants you dead'? Did he say something?"_

_"He just stood there and glared at me."_

_"Of course," Weiss shrugged, "he didn't pick you out for me himself, and you're not a rich man, so it makes sense that he isn't happy."_

_Ruby stared at the sheets for a moment, "He said that if I don't leave you soon, he'll make me."_

How did she not realize it sooner. . . Her father had her killed, all the signs were there and she ignored them! He'd willingly allowed her to go on the mission, he had a suitor in line the very moment she returned home, he'd had everything planned out, and he'd been wanting to get rid of Ruby since he was informed of their relationship. _'It was all there. . .'_

The mission had taken place in Mistral, Ruby had died in Mistral, and Liam did say that they'd received charges for hotel damage and a call from around that area; she'd never found Ruby's body either. _'What are you doing to me?_' She found herself leaning against the outer wall of the mansion, her eyes flickered up to the skies and her heart tightened inside of her chest. _'Trying to give me false hope? Good job! You did! She's gone, what do you want from me?!'_

"Weiss?"

Weiss snapped back to reality and she looked down to see Wisteria standing in front of her again, wearing a worried expression, "You were crying," The little girl muttered as Weiss reached up to wipe away the tears she hadn't realized were rolling down her cheeks, "I didn't know what to do, so some lady gave me this!" Wisteria grinned as she presented a red and white rose to the woman, "She told me to bring it to you, it'd make you happy!"

_A plate was set in front of her and Weiss turned to the woman who'd set it there without paying attention to the contents. "Ma'am, I didn't order this." There was no way their food would arrive that quickly._

_"Oh I know, but the girl over there said you would like it." The young waiter gestured to the back of the room, but frowned when she found that the area was vacant. The look of confusion quickly faded from the woman's face as she turned back to Weiss, "It's already paid for. If you'd like, I can fetch a to-go box."_

_Weiss finally looked down at the plate in front of her and her brows raised. A slice of red velvet cake sat there, perfectly cut out and practically calling her name. Peering closer, she could make out the shape of a heart etched into the icing. It almost looked familiar. . . "Sure. . ."_

Weiss blinked in surprise, reeling herself back to her senses and gently taking the flower from her niece. "Wisteria, the roses are in the greenhouse, you're not supposed to touch them. . ."

Wisteria tilted her head, "I didn't. Some lady brought one to me, I told you that. I didn't see her, because she was gone when I turned around." A small smile formed on the child's lips, "She sounded like your friend!" Without saying another word, Wisteria ran off back to Mavi.

The rose Weiss held had been plucked free of thorns, the colors were vibrant and swirled around in a beautiful pattern across the petals, almost forming what looked to be a heart at the tip of the flower. Weiss' brows knit together and she started for the greenhouse, glancing back over her shoulder to make sure Mavi and Wisteria were still within eyesight before pushing the glass door open.

The moment she stepped in, she was overwhelmed by the smell of wet soil and flowers. Taking a few deep breaths to adjust to the smell, Weiss shook her head and started for the rose section of the building. _'Some of these flowers don't grow until mid-spring or summer. Mother must've ordered the staff to keep the flowers alive using dust. . . Probably for the wedding, if I had to guess. Does seem like they're going for a summer-themed wedding.'_

Weiss stopped when she reached her destination, her eyes scanning over the many different varieties the greenhouse offered; white roses, red roses, pink roses, osiria roses, gallica roses, and those were the ones she knew. The woman held up the flower she'd been given and observed it again, a small smile tugged at the corners of her lips as the image of a fifteen-year old girl standing in front of her, twirling a red and white rose in her hands, came to her mind. "It certainly is beautiful."

"Just like you." Weiss felt her blood run ice cold and her heart skipped a beat, she knew that voice. . . She would never forget it, it was a voice she never thought she would hear again. No. . . Maybe her mind was just toying with her, maybe she'd become so desperate to hear her again, to see her again, that she'd tricked herself into thinking she was here, still alive and with her.

Before she could turn around, the familiar scent of roses surrounded her and she felt warm, strong arms sliding around her waist. Weiss stiffened, squeezing her eyes shut as tears began to sting at the corners of them. This wasn't real, she was just imagining it, it was a dream. She would turn around, and Ruby wouldn't be there, she was dead and she wasn't coming back. "Princess?" Oh dear Gods, she wanted so badly for this to be real. . . "What's wrong?"

Of course this was her imagination, she couldn't even see her and she knew Ruby thought everything was okay; she wasn't really there. Weiss let out a breath, her voice quivering when she spoke, "You're not really here. . ." She whispered, she opened her eyes and a few tears rolled down her cheeks against her will, "When I turn around, you'll be gone. . . If I try to touch you, you'll fade away."

A short laugh came from behind her and Weiss bit her lip as the arms encircling her waist pulled back until only the hands were left, they ghosted over her sides before disappearing and Weiss felt her posture slacken, that was it. . . It really was a figment of her imagination. Ruby wasn't really there, she was still alone. _'What did I expect? The call and the damages were probably just Yang, she-'_ When Weiss turned around, she stopped dead in her tracks, her heart rate speeding up when her blue eyes instantly met with deep, affectionate, pools of silver. "Great, now I'm hallucinating."

'Ruby' just smiled and stepped towards Weiss, who took a long step back and raised her hands. "Please, don't do this to me again, I don't think I can take-" she pressed herself up against the glass behind her, 'Ruby' was right in front of her now. Weiss felt something inside of her snap, "What do you want?! Do you want to see me suffer?! Is that it?"

The woman in front of her frowned and Weiss growled, "I know you're not real! Get away-" In one quick movement, the woman reached out and cupped Weiss' face, leaning in and gently pressing her lips into Weiss' to silence her.

Weiss felt every bone in her body melt as tears streamed down her cheeks, her heart swelled and when Ruby pulled away, a quiet, choked sob escaped her lips. She was really here. . . Against all odds, the love of her life was right here, alive. She'd come back to her. "Ruby," she whined, the younger woman slid her arms back around her and Weiss tucked her head under Ruby's chin, relishing in the familiar warmth, "you're here. . ."

"Yeah," Ruby chuckled, rubbing her hand up and down Weiss' back, "I'm here, my love. I'm right here."

* * *

**Why do I hate this chapter so much?**

**Ugh.**


	14. I Have A Plan Maybe

**Chapter 14:**  
**[Ruby]**

**Location: **Atlas, Greenhouse

"When Jaune finished amplifying my aura, we'd already reached the borders of Atlas and Ren called Blake. I don't know exactly what they spoke about, but when we landed, Winter was there and waiting for us. She seemed surprised to see me! To be honest, I think that's the first time I've ever seen her showing emotion! Anyway, I didn't stick around to find out why she was there, I left as quickly as I could to find you. . ." Ruby trailed off, lowering herself to the floor and sitting back against the glass wall with a sigh.

"And how did you find me?" Weiss asked quietly, Ruby glanced up at her and her heart skipped a beat when her silver eyes met with an affectionate blue pair. "The mansion is pretty big, I could've been anywhere." Ruby chuckled and leaned up, taking Weiss' wrist and giving it a gentle tug. The woman rolled her eyes and sat down beside her, tucking her legs to the side and leaning into Ruby's embrace.

"I snuck into the mansion and Klein found me, said you were in the gardens with Wisteria." Ruby confessed, resting her chin on the woman's shoulder comfortably and wrapping her arms around her fiancee's abdomen. Her heart swelled with emotion as Weiss intertwined their fingers and legs as if to keep her in place. Ruby's eyes instantly shot down to Weiss' ring and relief rolled through her.

_'She's not married. I wasn't too late. . .' _She ran her finger over the snowflake-crested engagement ring and lifted their hands, revealing her own rose ring to match. Weiss stayed still and quiet, allowing Ruby to admire the rings, "Yang's right," she whispered lovingly, Weiss made a sound of response, "I should've gave you the rose one."

"Given," Weiss corrected lightheartedly, "you should have _given _me the rose ring."

Ruby rolled her eyes, "Given, gave, gaven, I don't care. It made sense to me.

A moment of silence passed between them, Ruby closed her eyes and inhaled Weiss' scent, but before she could get used to it again, she felt the older woman shuffling around. Ruby opened her eyes as Weiss slid her legs out in front of her and leaned back against her chest. Ruby tightened her embrace, "I was comfortable," she muttered in dismay "why'd you move?"

Weiss chuckled, squeezing her arm. "Well now_ I'm _comfortable!" Ruby pouted, but the frown disappeared when Weiss reached up and tapped her nose, "I love you," the woman whispered, causing Ruby's heart to skip a beat. She was happy. . . Well, if she was happy, then Ruby was too.

"I love you, too." Ruby responded affectionately, "By the way, your security _really _ if I was an assassin sneaking in to murder the wealthy heiress?" Ruby laughed, raising her hand in a gun motion and pretending to shoot, "Bam! One shot and she's dead because the security around here is shit."

Weiss rolled her eyes, "And then I'm dead because my fiancee shot me."

Ruby shook her head, "No! Not me, an assassin! What if I was an assassin and snuck in?" She tried explaining again, she fell quiet when Weiss barely managed to bite back a laugh.

Weiss raised a brow, mischief twinkled in her light blue eyes. "My fiancee still shot me."

Ruby felt a small smile tug at the corners of her lips, noticing the playful glint in Weiss' eyes. "Weeeiiiisssss!"

Weiss just tilted her head back, allowing it to loll to the side limply, "Weiss is dead, her fiancee killed her."

Ruby rolled her eyes and nuzzled the woman, who hummed in response. Weiss gently pushed her away and focused her attention on something above her. "What are we looking at?" She asked, following her gaze to look up at the clear blue sky through the glass.

The woman allowed a small smile graced her lips, "You." Weiss giggled, meeting Ruby's curious silver eyes when she looked back down. Ruby felt a wild blush creep up her neck and she released an embarrassed whine.

"I remember the day you proposed to me." Weiss whispered, the memory flashed through Ruby's mind and she detangled herself from the white-haired woman and approached the flower bed, gesturing for Weiss to continue speaking. She could feel her eyes on her, watching her. "You lead me out to the forest against my will and left me to follow you to a clearing."

Ruby knelt down, admiring the roses before gently plucking the ones she found to be the most vibrant. A white one, a matching red rose, a few osiria roses. . . "Zwei was there, and he presented me with a red and white rose that had a picture tied to the stem," Ruby smiled, still proud of her piece of art, she glanced over her shoulder at the rose Weiss was twirling and stood up. Weiss' eyes flickered up to her, returning the smile, "when I turned around you'd littered the clearing with rose petals."

Ruby smiled as Weiss spoke, the memories of that night still fresh in her mind. She gently took the rose from her fiancee and stepped behind her, taking her seat again. She placed a hand on Weiss' back silently to tell her to remain upright, she set the flowers to the side and began to undo Weiss' ponytail. She felt the woman's stiff posture relax under her touch, Ruby imagined Weiss to have her eyes closed when she spoke again.

"Keep your eyes closed, my love." Ruby told her, threading her fingers through Weiss' long white hair. Weiss just hummed her response to acknowledge her, a smile tugged at the corners of Ruby's lips again as she took a red rose, removed it from the stem, and began braiding it into her fiancee's hair. Next was the white rose, followed by the osiria roses. After a few minutes, she sat back to admire her work.

A single red rose, one white, followed by three red and white roses. Ruby leaned in and planted a gentle kiss on Weiss' neck. "You're so beautiful." Ruby slid her arms around Weiss' waist again, "Gods, I thought I lost you. . ." She squeezed her, "I thought I'd come back and you'd be married. . ."

"Never," Weiss chuckled, "I would have escaped Atlas and disappeared off the face of Remnant before that happened." She was quiet for a second, "I believed you were dead. . . And everybody was expecting me to move on just like that, to accept it and get married. . ." Ruby lifted her head from Weiss' shoulder, "But I couldn't, I kept wishing that I had been the one who lost my life so that you could still be here. . ." Weiss tensed up, her body slightly trembling, "I thought I lost _everything_."

"Shh," Ruby whispered reassuringly, her thumbs rubbing comforting circles across Weiss' waist, "I'm okay. I'm right here, and I'm not going anywhere."

"Can we change the topic?" Weiss asked, her breathing heavy. Worry coursed through Ruby and she nodded, she wanted to know what was wrong, but she would allow Weiss to tell her when she was ready.

"Sure." Ruby muttered, smiling when Weiss relaxed against her, "I missed you."

Weiss took her hand again, lacing their fingers together, and lifted it to her stomach. "We missed you, too." She whispered lovingly, her head tilting back to watch Ruby. Ruby blinked in confusion, there were only two of them. What in the world was she talking about? She locked her gaze with Weiss', hoping to find the answer in her eyes; all she saw was amusement and affection.

Then it dawned on her.

Excitement shot through her like a bolt of energy and her frown was replaced with a wide grin, her eyes went wide and brimmed with tears. Love bloomed in her chest and she released a childlike squeal, "You're pregnant! We're going to have a baby!" She threw herself back, bringing Weiss down with her and laughing when the woman shrieked in surprise. She let go of her and shifted so that she was hovering over her fiancee. "When did you find out?! How far along are you? Do we know what they're gonna be yet? Wait, of course we don't, you're not showing yet. Well still! I hope we have a little girl, oh wait, a boy would be fantastic too! Either way, I-"

Weiss shushed her by pressing a finger to her lips, "Shhh, my sweet." Ruby stared down at the sight below her, wanting to forever save the image to her mind. Weiss' arm was draped comfortably over her stomach, her hair pooled around her head with petals seemingly decorating the long white locks. Her eyes were calm and adoration shone in the light blue gaze that Ruby had come to love so much.

"Gods you're gorgeous." Ruby blinked, leaning down to press her forehead to Weiss', "How did I get so lucky?"

"Ah," Weiss looped her arms around Ruby's neck, "I'm the one who got lucky, I have you." The brunette leaned back and planted a kiss to Weiss' nose before moving to place one on her lips. Weiss lifted a hand to block the kiss. "Hey, Ruby?"

"Mhm?"

"We're in a greenhouse. The walls are glass, see-through, transparent."

Ruby raised a brow, "So?"

Weiss frowned, "Ruby, somebody could see!"

The brunette just smirked and leaned down again, cupping her fiancee's cheeks with both hands. "My love," she whispered affectionately, "nobody can see us. I promise, just trust me.." Ruby watched as Weiss' eyes widened and fluttered closed, a small smile crossed Ruby's lips, "But if you don't want a kiss," she straightened herself, Weiss' arms falling to her hips, and bit back the laughter at the look of betrayal on Weiss' face.

Weiss reached up and grabbed Ruby's collar, pulling her back down and into a gentle kiss. Electricity and warmth flowed through Ruby when their lips met, her senses flew out the window and the world around her fell deaf. Before she could reciprocate the kiss, Weiss suddenly jerked away and pushed against Ruby's chest, Ruby's brows furrowed and she rolled off to allow Weiss to sit up. "Did you not hear him?!" Weiss exclaimed, sitting upright and scrambling to her feet.

"Nope." Ruby replied in pure confusion, "What was I supposed to hear?" She asked, pushing herself up and standing.

"What if he tells Father?"

"Who?"

"Shit, what if he heard about the baby?"

"Who are you talking about?"

"We need to get out of here right-"

"Weiss!" Ruby grabbed Weiss' shoulders to get her attention, sure enough, panicked blue eyes fixed on Ruby. "Who saw us?"

The woman stared at her for a moment in silence, fear written all over her face. "Liam. . ." Ruby's eyes widened and she turned her attention to the glass door, her brows narrowing. Liam Greer, Weiss' supposed fiance, the man her father had chosen for her to marry. "Ruby, I have to go," Weiss whispered, making no attempt to move, "they can't see you here. . . If he tells Father-"

Ruby shook her head, "What happened to my Weiss?" She asked softly, raising her hands to cup Weiss' face again, "Defiant, brave, strong, she wouldn't allow anything to stand in her way if she had something to say about it, and she _always _had something to say. She spoke her mind, she was sassy, sarcastic, snarky. She wasn't afraid of anything, she would face a challenge head on. . ."

"Ruby, this is different-"

Ruby smiled, stepping back and away from her fiancee, "Nope!" She grinned, "This is just yet another challenge, this is something standing in your way and stopping you from reaching the other side. Arranged marriage?" Ruby rolled her eyes, waving a hand dismissively. "Psch, Weiss, we've went up against the largest of Grimm and put some of Remnant's most wanted criminals behind bars. Getting out of this 'engagement' will be like a simple warm up exercise."

Weiss hung her head dejectedly, "I know, Ruby, but this _is _different. You don't know my father. . ."

The other woman sighed, approaching her beloved again. The hopeless look on Weiss' face caused pain to tear at Ruby's heart, she hated seeing the woman looking so broken. . . "Princess," Ruby lifted her chin with one finger, "Your father doesn't know us, he underestimates us, he underestimates _you _." She smiled as an attempt to raise Weiss' hopes, "So why don't we show them what Weiss Rose is made of?"

She received no response, Ruby groaned internally and placed her hand on her hip, "Weiss, I'm running out of encouraging speeches here."

"_WEISS _!" Ruby frowned, hatred brewing in her chest as Jacques' voice echoed through the garden.

Weiss' head snapped towards the door, panic flickered through her eyes and Ruby raised a brow, "He told him. . . Get out of here!" The older woman hissed desperately, refusing to make eye contact with her, Ruby's heart clenched when she realized Weiss was trembling. "Go! Hide! Leave! He can't see you." There were tears in her eyes. . .

_'No.' _Ruby frowned stubbornly, turning to the door and reaching to grab Weiss' hand. "I'm not going anywhere."

Weiss snatched her hand back to her side and Ruby paused, "Weiss?" She whispered weakly.

The woman just shook her head and started for the door, "_ Please _, just hide if you don't want to leave." Ruby followed her in silence, stopping at the door and stepping out of sight. Weiss had left the door open, allowing Ruby to be able to hear everything.

"Come here, immediately!" She heard Jacques first. He seemed infuriated, nearly boiling with rage. "What's this about a pregnancy?!"

He knew? But how. . . Did Liam tell him? How much did he hear?

"I don't know what you're talking about." Weiss' voice lacked emotion, but Ruby knew her well enough to have heard the hesitation. She'd never been a very good liar. .

"Bullshit!" Jacques' voice was loud, ringing through the garden again, Ruby's nails sunk into her palms, "Doctor Meadows told me everything! That _thing _belongs to _her _doesn't it?" So Liam didn't say anything. . . He must not know she was alive, then.

"I'm afraid you were misinformed, then. . . You know that I," Weiss hesitated, "miscarried the baby. The staff at the hospital confirmed-"

"Clearly they were wrong." She could hear the scowl in his voice, but he sounded eerily calm. "You're coming with me to get rid of that _abomination _." Wait, what? Surely he wouldn't. . . Of course he would, why wouldn't he? A baby outside of marriage, a child with an 'impure' bloodline, _her _baby. He tried to have her killed, he wouldn't be above killing a child. . .

Ruby's eyes flew open when she heard Weiss yelp, "Let _go of me _!" Rage boiled inside of her and she slid out of her hiding place, "I don't _have _a baby!" She sounded so scared. . . Ruby stepped out of the Greenhouse quietly, reaching to her side and grabbing her temporary weapon. She clicked it once and the blades unfolded.

"What did I say about lying to me?!" Jacques raised his hand and Ruby readied herself, but every nerve in her body screamed for her to shoot forward and decapitate the man. She wasn't a murderer, though.

"I-I'm not lying!" Weiss had frozen, watching him with wide, fearful eyes. "I don't have a baby, I miscarried. . . The hospital said there would still be pregnancy symptoms because my body hasn't comprehended-"

Time slowed down. Ruby saw red.

She felt herself move forward as Jacques' hand descended, and in one quick movement using her semblance, her body collided with his. There was a dull thud and when Ruby's vision cleared, she found him pressed against the wall, shock and fear contorted on his face, with her blade to his throat. There was a small trail of blood slipping down from the tip of the blade. Ruby snarled, her voice dripping with venom as she spoke. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't rip you apart _limb _from _limb _."

"You. . ." He growled, "You release me right this instant, and I might consider sparing your miserable life."

Ruby chuckled, glancing over her shoulder as Weiss approached her. "Babe, look, he still thinks he's in charge." Weiss didn't say a word, "Are you okay?" Ruby asked her fiancee as she refocused her attention on Jacques, keeping him immobile and pinned against the wall.

"I'm fine." Weiss replied, her voice once again blank. "Let him go, Ruby. . ." She whispered, almost inaudible, Ruby's eyes widened and she gave the woman next to her an incredulous look, "Let him go, return to Blake's place. I'll be okay. . . I have a plan. Hopefully."

"What-?"

"You always ask me to trust you," Weiss' eyes softened, "I'm asking you to put your trust in me this time."

Ruby locked eyes with Jacques again, slowly removing her weapon from his neck. "Don't you _dare _lay a hand on _my _Weiss again." She threatened with a venomous voice, she attached the weapon to her side again and approached Weiss, who was waiting at the gates. Her expression changed into one of concern, "Please be okay, let me know if anything happens. I don't want you getting hurt. . ."

"Sweetheart, I'm not made of glass, I'll be fine." Weiss raised a brow.

"But, the baby." Ruby whispered quietly.

"_We _will be fine, Ruby."

Ruby nodded reluctantly and released her fiancee, "I'll be waiting for you," she whispered lovingly, "I love you, Princess." Weiss smiled and whispered the words back, the couple ignored the annoyed huff coming from a few feet away. Ruby hesitated, but stayed put where she was, watching Weiss enter the building and keeping Jacques from following after her. Her gaze hardened, "Stay. Away. From her." Ruby growled, activating her semblance and bolting away.

When she was out of earshot, Jacques sent a glance towards somebody in the shadows, "Did you catch that?" A nod. "_Very good_."

* * *

**[Weiss]  
****Location:** Blake's Hotel

_"Liam."_

_"Yes?"_

_"I need you to do something for me." _

_Liam's head lifted from his scroll and he gave an understanding nod, "Is it something to do with your girlfriend? Need me to cover for you?" He asked curiously, obviously ready to agree to whatever he needed to do. Weiss felt guilt twist inside of her, remembering how unkind and discourteous she'd been to him; he was ready to help her with absolutely no hesitation. _

_"Fiancee, actually." Weiss sighed, "I'll make it quick. I need you to listen in on my father and Mr. Greer's conversation, record anything mentioned about my. . . My family."_

_"Okay, so what do I do with it?"_

_"I'll give you my contact information and you will send it to me once you get everything, understand?"_

_"Got it." Liam smiled, "Your fiancee seems to really care about you. By the way, if you don't mind me asking, are you really pregnant?"_

_Weiss lifted her gaze, "Um. . ." She felt the shield she'd put up slowly crumbling. "I am." She replied carefully and cautiously, "Why do you ask?"_

_Liam shrugged, "Just curious," he stood to his feet and Weiss took a few steps back, "congratulations." He sounded genuine. . . Weiss' eyes widened in disbelief. He was serious, he was actually happy for her. That didn't make any sense! He was. . . _

'He's never done anything to me.' _She reeled herself back to reality. "Thank you."_

_… … … … _

_"You know where Father hides our stuff?"_

_"Yep! I watched him once after he took my scroll that Mother bought me!"_

_"Wisteria," the little girl gazed up at the woman and Weiss drew in a deep sigh, "Liam is distracting Father, so I need you to find a box for me. It's white and has a line down the middle; Do not open it. Okay?" Wisteria nodded her response and Weiss smiled._

_"I'll be waiting out behind the manor, close enough to hear if anything happens." _

_… … … _

_Wisteria ran up with the box in hand and carefully handed it over to the woman, "Did you open it?" Weiss asked worriedly, quickly scanning her niece for any injuries, Wisteria shook her head and Weiss released a sigh of relief, "Thank you, Wisteria."_

_"You're welcome!"_

[Present]

She'd arrived at the hotel less than thirty minutes ago, after having explained Liam's part in her plan to JNPR and Ruby, Weiss made her way to Blake's bedroom, where the faunus had been working to uncover evidence that they could use against Jacques Schnee. By the looks of it, Blake had already found what they needed.

"What did you find?"

Blake glanced over her shoulder as Weiss walked in, she brought up a file and Weiss stopped behind her. "I managed to find the bank transactions where your father-"

"Jacques."

"-Jacques paid some guys in Mistral to relocate a herd of Deathstalkers towards the town." Blake continued, bringing up said transaction, "It was done anonymously, but if you trace it back," she clicked some buttons and Weiss furrowed her brows in bewilderment as her family's address appeared on the screen, "it was sent from the SDC."

Weiss glanced down as a pair of arms slid around her waist and Ruby's head rested on her shoulder, she smiled and laced their fingers together with one hand. "What else?" Ruby asked tiredly, almost sagging against Weiss. Blake hummed, clicking open another file.

"I also found the call logs discussing the plan with some group," she tapped on the mouse, opening the recording, "listen-"

"Hold on," Weiss whispered, "I gotta put this one to bed." Behind her, Ruby seemed to be struggling to keep her eyes open, her body having relaxed as the adrenaline had worn off. Taking a few steps back and slowly lowering herself onto the bed behind her, Weiss readjusted herself so that she could look at the screen, the brunette's arm was still loosely wrapped around her. She glanced behind her and sighed when she noticed that her fiancee had already dozed off. She turned back to Blake, "Alright, press play."

Blake smiled warmly at the woman and pressed play, leaning back in her chair when the recording began.

_"Is everything set?"_

_"Should be, Sir. The Grimm have been relocated and the mission request has been sent out."_

_"Did you make sure that it was my daughter's team?" _

_"Yes Sir, but depending on how things go, we might have to discreetly split the herd to drive the team apart."_

_"Make sure that Rose girl is separated from the rest of them. I have sent you pictures for reference, but do not underestimate her, she won't be taken out so easily."_

_"Understood."_

The call cut short and Weiss' eyes flickered to Ruby behind her and she released a deep sigh, thankful that her fiancee was asleep, or else the scythe-wielder would be seething. "He was almost successful," Weiss whispered, her voice choked, "I should have seen the signs. . . But I turned a blind eye and Ruby could've died." Guilt and shame washed over her, her chest tightening. "How could she forgive me. . .? How can she still-"

"Because it wasn't your fault," Blake interrupted, "even if it was, she wouldn't blame you, she would still love you. . . She'd probably just be hurt."

"It is my fault," Weiss' knuckles turned white as she clenched her fists, "he had been wanting me to get rid of her for years. He said if I didn't, he would I didn't believe him, and maybe if I had listened. . . None of this would have happened."

"You couldn't have known the mission was rigged, Weiss," Blake whispered comfortingly, "just be thankful that Ruby's still here and that you still have a chance for a family." The faunus leaned forward and opened another recording, "This is after you returned home, according to the date." She sat back again.

_"Was the mission successful?"_

_"I believe so, Sir. Your daughter is unharmed and Rose is nowhere to be found, she may have been eaten. We didn't even have to interfere! She lead the Grimm away herself!"_

_"Good, good."_

Weiss met eyes with Blake, "So we have the evidence," she whispered hesitantly, "the bank transactions, the calls, attempted murder, attempted forced abortion, forced arranged marriage. . ." Weiss hummed, "We could also expose some more things," she confessed quietly, Blake raised a brow, "child abuse, kidnapping, abuse of power, endangering lives. . ."

Blake hummed, "Ruby said that she attacked him," Weiss nodded and the faunus heaved a sigh, "he could try and use that against you, and the fact that we hacked into their system to find the evidence we have."

Weiss blinked in realization and groaned, rubbing her temple. "We're screwed."

She looked back to Blake when she shook her head, "Winter and I have this covered."

* * *

**Yes, Liam caught Ruby and Weiss, but he did not say a word and chose to leave them alone. Weiss asked for Ruby to let her father go so that Ruby was not arrested for murder. (She wouldn't have killed him any way, she's better than that.) As for the proposal Weiss was talking about, you can read the full story! It's called "Springtime Rose".**

**Any name/gender suggestions for the baby?**


	15. Let's Hatch A Plan

Chapter 15:

[Ruby]

"Should we wake them up?"

"No, let them rest for a while longer."

". . . Do you really have a plan? I don't want you and Ruby put behind bars."

A laugh. "I don't like how you included both of us, Yang." Ruby blinked her eyes open. "We'll be fine, if she didn't physically harm him, there's not much they can do."

Through her blurry vision, she could just barely see what looked to be Yang and Blake standing in the doorway, Yang leaned against the frame with one leg propped up and her arms crossed. "I'm going to see if Jaune and the others are awake, do you want to stay here or come with me?" Blake asked.

"I'll stay here." Yang replied, and Blake gave a small smile, whispering something to her before walking away.

Ruby shifted slightly, frowning in mild confusion when it came to her attention that she wasn't alone. She rubbed her eyes and glanced to her side, love fluttered through her chest when her eyes landed on her fiancee snuggled comfortably into her side and sound asleep.

"Good morning."

Ruby whipped her head around to see Yang at the edge of the bed, wearing a smirk on her face. Her expression softened, "You know, we thought we'd never see you again. . ." The brunette felt guilt roll through her and she averted her eyes, "I really thought you were dead. . ." Her sister's voice was laced with grief and pain, but there was a hint of relief in there.

"I'm always one to defy expectations, right?" Ruby whispered with a small to lighten the mood, "When did you get here?" She asked, "I don't recall seeing you here last night."

"Early this morning, Blake came and picked me up." A stern frown crossed the blonde's lips, "I'm kind of disappointed you didn't consider calling me and that I found out from Dad that you were alive." She smirked, "Do I really mean so little to you, Ruby?"

Ruby sighed, laying back down and covering her eyes with one arm. "I tried, but you didn't answer and I couldn't sit around to wait," she muttered sincerely, "I know I should've tried again, but I was too focused on getting to Atlas before. . . Before I lost her." Had she been selfish? Inconsiderate, maybe?

Yang just smiled, "I figured as much. . . I really doubt you would have lost her, though. " Ruby opened her eyes again and glanced at her sister, smirking when she pointed a finger accusingly at her. "But when this is all over, we're having a Sister's Day Out. Got that?"

"Got it."

Yang stood and approached the door, "Wake Weiss up, we have a busy day today." She whispered, "I'll be with Blake and the rest of them." Ruby nodded quietly as the door was closed.

_'I don't wanna get up.'_ Ruby pushed herself up again and shifted so that she could lean over Weiss, _'But she looks so peaceful. . .' _She hesitated, staring down at her fiancee's sleeping face in adoration, "I missed you," the woman whispered, "we'll get you out of this, Princess, I promise. . ." A small smile came to her lips, "If we don't. We can just run away, just like we did before. . . They would never find us again."

After they'd graduated Beacon, Weiss' father had been waiting to take her back home, away from Ruby, and hadn't given her much of a choice. They'd disappeared off the face of Remnant with the only people knowing their whereabouts being Yang, Blake, and JNPR. It'd been Weiss' idea to leave, choosing to leave everything behind and rebuild everything from scratch. Ruby agreed immediately, wanting her fiancee to be safe and happy. _'Young and stupid.' _Ruby allowed a small smile to come to her lips. _'I wouldn't have it any other way.'_

She leaned down and grazed her lips over Weiss' ear, smiling quietly when the woman's brows furrowed and she tried to sink deeper into her pillow. "Weiss~" She whispered lovingly, dipping down and kissing the corner of the woman's lips, "Wake up, Sleeping Beauty." Weiss stirred beneath her and Ruby's eyes shot down when she realized Weiss was trying to push her off.

"Five more minutes. . ." Weiss muttered tiredly as Ruby silently climbed off of her, "No classes. . . Sleep in."

_'No way. She thinks we're at-' _Ruby smirked and sat up, remembering just how much the woman had _hated _the whistle. "If you don't get up in the next five seconds, I'll blow- oomph!"

Weiss had shot upright and somehow managed to tackle Ruby off of the bed all in one motion, almost convincing Ruby that she'd stolen her semblance. "Don't you dare!" Weiss snapped, now wide awake, "You know I hate that fu-" the heiress trailed off as her eyes came into focus, reeling her into reality. She sat up, still straddling the younger girl. "Ruby. . ."

Ruby laughed, now having a good view of the older woman's disheveled appearance. Gods, it was adorable! Though, she did look sort of ill. . . Maybe it was just the lighting in the room. "Good morning, gorgeous." She reached up to boop Weiss' nose, "Did you sleep with the rats last night?"

Tears welled up in Weiss' eyes and Ruby blinked in pure confusion, "Weiss? What's wrong?" Weiss didn't respond, she soundlessly leaned down and pressed her head into Ruby's shoulder, clutching her with a death-like grip. "Weiss. . .?"

"It wasn't a dream," Weiss choked out breathlessly, sounding relieved and overjoyed, "you're really here."

Ruby hummed, loosely wrapping her arms around Weiss' shoulders. "Yeah, I'm really here. I'm not going anywhere." She should've known Weiss would act like this, especially considering what had happened when she revealed herself yesterday. Ruby had noticed that something inside of her beloved had broken when she'd looked into her eyes, something that her presence couldn't mend. She had yet to find out what it was, though. Did Weiss even know?

_Bbbrriiinnggg. _Their alarm was going off.

"Ugh. . ." Weiss slid off of her and Ruby sat up, watching her attempt to pull herself back onto the bed, but failing. Ruby stood to her feet and reached down to help the woman up, who stubbornly swatted her hands away. "I'm fine!" Ruby raised a brow, noticing the sudden change of emotion. She shrugged it off, deciding that it was something to do with her pregnancy. They did say pregnant women were moody and stubborn, and Weiss was naturally that way. . .

"Weiss." Ruby tried again as Weiss heaved herself to her knees, her arms on the bed, "Let me help-"

"No!" Weiss swat her hands away again, pushing herself to her feet, but her legs gave out from under her and she slipped. The scroll alarm rang again as Ruby knelt down beside her, whispering soothing things to her, slowly sliding her arms underneath the woman to lift her up. Suddenly, Weiss stiffened and she trembled, muttering incoherent sentences before quietly curling on the floor. "_No. . . No, no please. . ._" Ruby frowned in confusion and concern as Weiss wrapped an arm around her stomach, "_Gods, no. . ._"

"Weiss. . .?" Tears stung at the corners of her eyes. She didn't know what to do, what was going on? Should she call an ambulance? Wait for her to ride it out? See if she can coax her out of. . . Whatever was happening? Was she in pain? "Princess, what's the matter?" She felt so helpless. . . Her beloved was hurting and she had no idea how to help her. "Weiss, tell me what's going on." Maybe if she could get Weiss to speak to her, she could figure out how to help.

"_My baby. . ._"

_'What happened?What about the baby? I'm so confused. . .'_ Something had happened, and whatever it was had traumatized Weiss.

Ruby's brows furrowed in confusion, she shook her head and released a deep sigh. She had to help somehow. . . "Weiss," she whispered, laying on her side to face her fiancee, "listen to me. . ." She gently wrapped her arm around the trembling woman, embracing her in what she hoped to be a comforting manner. "You're alright," she began to rub soothing circles across Weiss' back, "our baby is okay. . . You're okay. . . Everything's alright. . ."

"_No__._" Weiss whimpered, her eyes teary and unfocused. "_Ruby. . . My Ruby. . ._" Ruby stayed silent, watching the white-haired woman with a concerned expression, feeling as though her heart was being carved out of her chest. "_Take care of our baby. . ._" Ruby blinked in pure confusion, fear rolling through her. Was there something wrong with her? She did look ill. . . What if she didn't make it through- "_I'm so sorry. . ._" Weiss' voice reeled Ruby back to her senses.

_'What is she talking about? Is she okay? Gods, please let her be alright.' _She sat upright as quickly as she could, placing her hand on Weiss' side and activating her aura. She released a sigh of relief when Weiss' aura mingled with hers; she was alright. . . But, why was she asking her to take care of the baby? "Weiss," the brunette reached to stroke the trembling woman's cheek, she moved down to grab her hand, "love, can you hear me?" Weiss squeezed her hand. _'Good. . .' _

Ruby sighed and leaned down again, "Open your eyes. . ."

"_No. . ._" She was slowly coming to her senses, but she still seemed to be trapped her trance.

"Please? For me?" Weiss just stiffened and Ruby bit her lip, not knowing what else to do. She shook her head, and sat back up when Weiss suddenly released her hand. Maybe there was another way to let Weiss know that she was here. "Weiss, what do you smell?" She asked, hoping she could get through to her.

Weiss remained quiet for a moment, but Ruby's heart did a flip inside her chest when she responded; "Roses. . ." She whispered painfully, "I smell roses. . ."

"Can you touch anything?" Ruby asked, setting her hand in front of Weiss' so that she could grab it again.

"_No. . ._" Weiss responded, her voice choking. Ruby felt like a knife had been through her chest, watching the woman's face twist into one of grief and pain.

She recollected herself. "Can you try to. . .?" She whispered pleadingly. Weiss just tucked herself away, covering her face with one of her arms. "Weiss, come on, try. Please?" She needed to help her out of this, it was hurting her.

"_You're. . . You're not here._"

They were back at this again, Weiss was denying reality. . . That explained everything. Whatever had sent her into this state of mind was still affecting her, causing her to turn away from what was really happening. _'Oh, Sweetheart, what happened to you. . .?'_ Ruby sighed again, "I am here. . ." That would make this three times since she'd returned. . .

"_No__. . ._" The woman whispered again and Ruby placed her hand on her arm.

"Can you feel anything? Anything at all?" She asked, waiting and watching for Weiss' response. She smiled when Weiss reached and grabbed her hand, interlocking their fingers almost instinctively. That answered that question, "Thank you. . ." She gave her hand a squeeze. "Alright, what do you hear?"

The woman seemed to hesitate, but she managed to whisper out, "_Ruby. . ._"

Ruby hummed, "Open your eyes and tell me what you see." She shifted her attention to her fiancee's face, waiting to see if she would oblige. "Can you do that for me?" Ruby asked again, watching as Weiss' eyes flutter open and smiling when light blue flickered up to meet her silver pair. "Hi." Ruby greeted gently when Weiss seemed to refocus, her gaze locked on her in pure disbelief. She was switching back and forth between reality and her trance.

"You know, that makes three times I've seen that look in your eyes since I've got back." Ruby laughed lightly.

After a few moments, Weiss choked out a sob and closed her eyes again, whispering apologies under her breath. "What's wrong?" Ruby frowned, sitting up and placing both arms on either side of Weiss. Well, she wasn't reverting back to whatever had happened a few minutes ago. . . So what was she doing? "Princess?"

Seconds ticked by, but they felt like decades. Ruby waiting almost impatiently for Weiss to speak, hoping she would fill her in on everything. Why wouldn't the baby be okay? Why had she wanted her to take care of them? _'She said she's pregnant; did she lie to me. . .? Did something happen to the baby?'_ Certainly she would've told her, right?

They'd never kept secrets before- well, not anymore. Keeping things from each other had nearly destroyed their relationship at the start, but they'd managed to calmly talk it out and made a promise that they wouldn't hide things again at Ruby's request. Surely Weiss wouldn't go back on that, she'd never broken a promise to her, so why would she start now?

Ruby shook her head. _'She'll tell me when she's ready. . .'_ She had to trust her. Weiss still loved her, that much was clear, it would just take a little bit for things to go back to normal.

"I was expecting twins. . ." Weiss finally spoke, letting Ruby know that she was still conscious. Ruby lifted her head, focusing her attention on Weiss. The words echoed in her head on repeat. She _was _expecting twins. Past tense. . . "I didn't know, and I lost one of them," Weiss' voice was nearly inaudible, "I thought I'd lost you too. . . I'd lost everything. My fiancee, my baby, my friends, my freedom. . ."

The brunette waited in silence, watching as Weiss visibly relaxed. She sounded broken, though. . . All Ruby could really do was listen. "I'm sorry." Weiss whispered again, "If I had been careful, maybe we would have a family-"

"There's nothing you could have done." Ruby interrupted, "It happens all the time. . ." With her emotions locked away, saving her own grieving for a better time, Ruby sat up from the floor. "Are you alright now?" She questioned, glancing down at Weiss. A quiet hum was the only response she received, "Come on, Princess, we need to get a shower and eat."

Weiss pushed herself up and Ruby offered her hand, Weiss eyed it for a brief moment before rolling her eyes and taking it so that Ruby could pull her up. "You get a shower first," she muttered bluntly, "you smell like death itself."

"_WOW__._ Not even gonna sugarcoat that, huh?" Ruby laughed, taking a step towards her fiancee, "You're so rude!" A smirk formed on her lips, "I suppose you stink, too? You're the one who got all cuddly." The other woman shot a glare in her direction and Ruby just smiled, looping an arm around Weiss's shoulder. "It was cute, though. I liked it."

She swore she saw a small smile tugging at the corner of Weiss' lips, but it disappeared as soon as it appeared. "So are we getting in the shower or not?" Weiss asked, starting for the door.

"Wait, we?" Ruby asked once she was by her side again, Weiss stopped at the door and fixed her eyes on Ruby, "Do you mean that you want to. . . Um. . ."

Weiss raised a brow, smirking ever so slightly. "I can't. Miscarriage, remember?" She stepped out into the hallway, "But that doesn't mean _you _can't." Weiss flashed her what looked to be a seductive smile before disappearing around the corner and into the bathroom.

_'Another mood swing.'_ Ruby noted mentally. _'I really don't know if I should take advantage of-. . .'_ Who knew the next time Weiss would feel up to it? Plus it'd probably do her some good to feel in control. _'Fuck it.' _Ruby followed her into the bathroom, swinging the door shut behind her. Her eyes immediately fixed on Weiss, who was already half-undressed and was currently undoing her hair. Her heart swelled with affection and Ruby offered the smirking woman a gentle smile when blue eyes glanced to her. "You look stunning," she complimented, her eyes roaming her fiancee's form. She didn't look ill anymore. . . That was a good sign. "You're practically glowing."

"Now, Ruby, I'm not anywhere near the '_Glow_', as you call it." Weiss rolled her eyes, "But thank you," she sent a smirk in Ruby's direction and Ruby's heart skipped a beat, "I suppose you don't look all that bad yourself." She turned away from her.

Ruby scoffed in mock annoyance, moving so that she could look at herself in the mirror. "Thanks, what a compliment." She did look kind of gross, though. Ah well, the shower would fix that.

"Ruby." Her silver eyes looked towards Weiss again and they widened, a pink blush crossed her cheeks instantly at the sight before her. "Are you coming?"

"Y-yeah." Ruby smirked, her eyes dancing with amusement, "You'll make me."

"Just get in the shower."

* * *

"Is everything set?"

"Should be."

"Winter said she's ready."

Ruby's eyes glanced up as Yang and Blake walked in, paying no attention to the other two in the room as they spoke. Ruby didn't say a word and leaned back down, slightly slumped over with her weight tilted forward so that she was propped up against the back of the couch. She remained quiet, allowing Weiss to thread her fingers through her dark locks and whisper sweet nothings to her. Weiss hadn't experienced another mood swing yet, she seemed to be perfectly fine now, but Ruby could still sense some sort of depression hidden under her facade.

"What are they talking about?" Ruby opened her eyes when she heard Weiss' soft, but gentle voice. She hummed and looked towards the Bumbleby duo. "Yang looks concerned. . ."

Weiss was right, Yang was wearing a visibly unsure expression and she looked to be very worried. Considering they hadn't noticed them yet, it was something to do with Blake's safety. "Not sure." Ruby replied quietly, "Something important by the looks of it."

"Yang, all we have to do is wait for Winter's signal. We'll be fine, we have it covered." Weiss and Ruby exchanged a look when Blake interrupted the blonde, her voice stern, but carrying a reassuring tone. "I know you want to help, and I appreciate it, but I don't want you getting involved. None of this was your doing, it was mine."

Weiss raised a brow, muttering something under her breath, and Ruby immediately looked down to her. "They're talking about Blake hacking into the security system." She explained, her voice barely above a whisper. "She said she and Winter have it all under control, and you know how Yang is about Winter; she doesn't exactly trust her."

Ruby bit her lip, "That doesn't sound too promising, to be honest. . ." She shook her head, "All we can do is trust Blake, though. She wouldn't get herself into something she knows she can't get out of." Ruby swung herself over the back of the couch, sitting comfortably beside Weiss and snuggling into her as gentle arms encircled her. "Speaking of 'something you can't get out of'. . . Do you think Liam got the evidence?"

"I don't know," Weiss whispered honestly, Ruby lifted her head slightly to look at her, "I just hope he didn't turn us in. He seemed trustworthy, considering he didn't tell Fath- I mean, Jacques. Maybe he'll show up so-"

_Knock knock._

Ruby sat up as Blake opened the door, revealing a tall woman with white hair tied into a bun. "Winter?" Weiss muttered in disbelief, Ruby smiled when she noticed a hopeful glint in Weiss' eyes. She almost seemed childlike upon the sight of her sister, but the gleam in her eyes left when Winter simply cast them a blank look and turned back to Blake. "Well," Weiss looked down at Ruby, "at least she acknowledged us. . ."

"Barely." Ruby responded, "It's almost like we aren't even here!" She raised her voice as an attempt to catch the others' attention, only to be ignored. Ruby rolled her eyes and leaned up, shifting and cupping Weiss' cheeks lovingly. _'Watch them ignore this.' _

"Ruby-?" Weiss was cut off by Ruby pulling her into a full mouth kiss, eliciting a slight moan from her.

"Hey! We're right here!" Ruby pulled away when Yang shouted at them, smirking at the red blush creeping across Weiss' face. She giggled when Weiss averted her eyes, whispering incoherent swears and insults under her breath.

Ruby just laughed, "Now we exist." She turned to the rest of the group, sitting up and off of the couch. "Care to fill us in?"

Winter spoke before Yang had a chance to open her mouth, the glare that was sent to the icy woman didn't go unnoticed by Ruby. "It's better if you two stay out of this as much as you possibly can," her voice lacked warmth, "we don't want either of you-"

"Excuse me?!" Weiss snapped from behind Ruby and all eyes turned towards the shorter woman. She was almost literally boiling with rage, Ruby swore she could see a slight hint of red in her eyes. "Stay out of it?! I've been sitting in my room while everybody else runs around me making decisions for me! Decisions I had absolutely no say in! I was expected to just 'roll with it', and quite frankly, I'm _SICK _of having to keep my mouth shut."

"Weiss-"

"No!" Weiss yelled in frustration, her voice echoing in the small hotel room. Everybody fell silent, save for Weiss. "That bastard nearly took _everything _away from _me_ just to keep himself at the top. He put _my _fiancee's life in danger, he tried to take _my _baby away from me, he has controlled _my _life since before I was born! My Ruby is still alive and we still have a chance for a family, despite all the shit that he has pulled as an attempt to separate us. So-"

Winter drew in a deep breath, "You must understand, I'm just trying to-"

"I'm not finished yet!" Weiss interrupted, catching the older woman completely off-guard. Ruby felt pride swell in her chest when Weiss spoke again, "If you think I'm just going to _sit here _and do nothing when it's _my _engagement, and _my_ life that's at stake, then you're sorely mistaken and you've lost your damn mind!"

Winter blinked in surprise and Ruby came to Weiss' side again with a wide grin on her face. She draped her arm across Weiss' shoulder, glancing down when the shorter woman visibly relaxed, though her glare still pierced daggers through Winter. "That's _my _girl." Ruby smirked, locking eyes with the older Schnee, "So, are you going to fill us in, or?"

A moment of silence passed through the room before Winter sighed again, "Very well, if you insist," she muttered hesitantly, "alright. So we have many things against him that could strip him of his title and rank, but considering you attacked him and most of this stuff your friend gathered from hacking into the security system, which is illegal and would put both sides at fault, he could use this and remain in power while you all are taken into custody."

Ruby raised a brow, "Okay, so what do we do?" To her, it sounded as though they were pretty much screwed.

Winter hesitated again and Ruby noticed brief doubt flash through her eyes. "First, we reveal everything he's done." She gestured to Weiss, "Placing an already engaged woman into an arranged marriage, and attempting to force her to abort her baby without her consent. If required, we could check the security cameras for evidence, and Mister Greer has something that can help us." Winter looked to Ruby, "Attempted murder and assistance in attempted murder, added with the illegal bank transactions and the calls your friend managed to find."

Ruby exchanged a puzzled glance with Yang before focusing her attention on Winter again, who continued speaking. "Kidnapping, manipulation, child abuse, and endangering a child's life. Legally, Wisteria and Mavi belong to me," Ruby could swear she saw pain in the older woman's eyes when she mentioned the children, "but he took them and has been. . . Using their lives against me so that I will keep my mouth shut. I know he hasn't been treating them right. . ."

Everybody kept quiet and Winter finished up, "And lastly, the abuse of power. He uses his position in the SDC to keep everything he's done a secret, he blackmails those who discover things they are not supposed to and I don't know how, but he manages to convince them to stay quiet." She fixed her eyes on Weiss and Ruby, wearing a stern frown. "Anything else you have to add, you tell me now. Or else we won't be able to settle this as peacefully as we can."

"What do you mean 'peacefully'?!" Ruby exclaimed in pure confusion, "How can something like this-"

"All the public needs to know is that the arranged marriage was called off and will be informed that Jacques simply stepped down from his position in the SDC," Winter looked to Weiss, "and if she pleases, the rightful heir will be taking charge."

Weiss rolled her eyes, "Sure, sounds great. What about hacking the system? Did you think about that?"

Blake spoke up, "Winter will take the blame, insisting that she gave me access to the files."

Weiss blinked, her eyes flitting back and forth between the two. "Yeah!" She smiled sweetly, "The plan sounds _flawless_! You certainly won't lose your job and everything you've worked for, and they would _totally _believe you over a faunus! It makes so much sense!" The smile dropped, "This is a horrible plan."

"Weiss." Ruby muttered as the woman turned away, stalking back to the couch. Light blue eyes glanced towards her, "We have to try. If it doesn't work. . . Well, we'll wing it like we always do."

"Fine." Weiss rolled her eyes, "When do we leave?"

"I'll give you a call once I get everything prepared." Winter replied bluntly, turning heel and walking out of the hotel room, "He's noticed that you're gone and he's not happy." Blake closed the door as the older woman exit and she faced Ruby.

Ruby shrugged, "All we have to do is wait, and hope things go as planned. . ."

* * *

"I see. . ."

They had gathered in General Ironwood's office, Winter insisting that she wished to keep the situation as private as possible for the time being. With Winter's assistance, Blake provided him with the evidence and answered any questions that were asked. At first, the man had seemed hesitant to look at the files and had asked Winter to take a look, believing that they may have been copied fraudulently. Winter confirmed that they were in fact authentic and the files were finally opened.

Ironwood clicked open another file, casting a suspicious glance to Blake before reading over what seemed to be the bank transactions. "It seems he has been cooperating with the group for a long time now," he noted, "ironic. . . He did nothing but complain about them when he inherited the-"

"Stole." Weiss interrupted coldly, "He _stole _the company from Mother."

Ironwood sent an amused smirk in her direction and closed the file, "They used to be allied with the White Fang and wanted nothing more than to bring the SDC down, but it seems that your Father-"

"Jacques," Weiss muttered again, ignoring the scolding glare Winter sent her, "he's not my Father."

Ironwood paid no mind to the interruption and continued, "It appears that he made amends with them and through the alliance, he paid them to indirectly assassinate Ms. Rose." He gestured to Ruby, "So there is evidence that he did in fact try to have her killed."

"We uncovered call logs from before and after the mission," Blake informed him quickly, "you can find them-"

The man turned to her and everybody in the room fell deathly silent, "I noticed," he started carefully, "everything you have presented to me added with everything you have explained reigns true, and he can and will be removed from his position as the CEO, but I do have one last question. . ." Ironwood narrowed his eyes and suddenly the room felt very cold. Blake didn't appear to be phased, waiting for his question patiently. "How did you manage to unlock these files?"

"I granted her access," Winter replied almost immediately, "I wanted to see if there was a way for me to take my children from him without causing a scene, and Blake just helped me find the files once we had them unlocked from the system."

Ironwood blinked in surprise and he stood up, "Winter, you know that if you take the blame for her, I will have to relieve you of your duties to the military. This is a serious claim. I could have you sent to jail." Judging by the tone of his voice, he wouldn't hold anything against her and was willing to let her go, which seemed to be a good sign.

"I know," Winter sighed heavily, "but after this is all over, there won't be anybody responsible enough to care for Wisteria." The woman's eyes drifted over to Ruby and Weiss, "I want to be around when my niece or nephew is born, too."

"I suppose I can let you go with this, as wrong as it feels. . . You have served the military for many years and have proven yourself to be a trustworthy woman. . . What about the company? Your brother is not near old enough to run it."

Ruby glanced over her shoulder at Weiss and smiled softly, gesturing for the annoyed woman to approach. Weiss rolled her eyes and came to her side, leaning into Ruby when she wrapped her arm around her. "Weiss can take over the company when he's arrested," Ruby muttered quietly, "if she still wants to. . ."

"Like I've said before," Weiss started carefully, her voice dripping with hatred, "he was not the start of our family name, and I won't allow him to be the end of it." Something flickered through Weiss' eyes and she turned to Ironwood, "I'll inherit the company," the man nodded, "but I'll still be taking Ruby's name. Whitley is not suited for the role of the heir, and my child will have the Rose name. I'll need an heir with the Schnee name, somebody who has not yet been through his training. . ."

Ruby glanced to Winter, hoping to find the answer in her reaction. Winter's expression was one of pure shock, "Wisteria? But you're-"

"I don't want to run the company forever, just cleanse our name and give it a fresh start. Wisteria would be perfect for the role."

"Very well," Winter turned to Ironwood stiffly, "what do we do?"

The man, who had returned to his desk, simply held up a sheet of paper. Weiss' eyes widened and she swiftly approached the desk without hesitation, Ruby raised a brow in bewilderment as Ironwood set the paper down. A moment later, he held it up again to reveal Weiss' signature, "We leave that up to the CEO to decide."

* * *

Ruby's eyes glanced to Weiss as she strode down the hallway towards the office, butterflies flying in her chest when light blue eyes glanced over to her, practically gleaming with pride. The plan had actually worked, Ironwood had sent them off with a group of guards to take Jacques Schnee into custody. To their knowledge, the news of Weiss' new position had yet to reach the man and they would be taking him by surprise.

"Weiss the CEO," Ruby grinned, rushing up to Weiss and matching her stride, "hmm, yeah, I could get used to that." She purred flirtatiously, feeling affection course through her. "You look very proud."

Weiss smirked at her, "I am," she replied light-heartedly, "I have the love of my life here with me, we have a child on the way, I'm back in control of my life, and I'll finally be able to give the SDC a new start!" The woman chuckled, stopping in front of the office door and turning Ruby, she wrapped her arms around the taller woman's neck. "And after this, we can finally have our wedding."

Ruby felt her heart skip a beat, imagining her fiancee in a flowing white wedding dress with her hair undone and cascading down her back beautifully; her mind switched to an image of Weiss holding a newborn child and tears pricked at the corners of her eyes. They were going to get married and have a family. . . After this was all over, there would be nothing stopping them and they could finally return to their peaceful life.

Ruby playfully bumped Weiss' forehead with her own, receiving a grunt of slight annoyance from her. "That's for making me worry this morning," she smirked before pulling her in for a quick kiss that sent a spark of electricity through Ruby, "and that's because I love you."

Weiss just hummed her response and broke away from her, turning to the waiting guards and signalling for them to get behind her. She placed her hand on the door knob and drew in a deep breath, Ruby offered a reassuring smile when Weiss nervously glanced back to her. Weiss steeled herself and gripped the knob, swinging the door open and stepping aside as the guards charged in.

Ruby had to keep herself from laughing when she caught sight of Jacques' confused expression, "What on Rem-" Ruby felt a sense of pride roll through her when a gun was pointed at the man, silencing him almost immediately. Fear flickered through his eyes briefly and he stood up. He must've regained courage because he met the guards' eyes with a calm expression. "What is this about?"

"Oh I think you know very well what this is about." Weiss smiled, approaching the side of the desk and meeting the man's eyes, "Or, do I have to spell it out for you?" The man sneered at her and Weiss just rolled her eyes, "You're under arrest by mine and General Ironwood's order."

The man was calm again, turning back to the men with an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry, my daughter must be confused. I haven't done-"

Weiss cut him off again, "Attempted murder, accessory to attempted murder, money laundering, forced arranged marriage, child abuse, the kidnapping of one's children, blackmail and manipulation, using your position in the SDC to hide everything you've done, _and _conspiring with a terrorist group."

Jacques' eyes widened in disbelief and he turned around when his arms were pulled behind his back and his hands were cuffed, "What?! You can't do this!" He snapped in frustration, shrugging away from one of the guards as he was forcibly led towards the door.

Ruby smirked, approaching her fiancee's side. "Oh, but she just did."

The man snatched his arms back from the guard, fixing his eyes on the couple. He was boiling with rage, his eyebrow twitching and he was gritting his teeth. "The world will be wondering where I went!" He stopped, straightening him as though he'd regained control, "Besides, a _faunus _probably forged the evidence. There is nobody to run the company, either."

"And how would you know that?" Weiss raised a brow, silencing the man. She held up the documents, Jacques scowled in response. "The world will be told Jacques Schnee has unfortunately retired from his position as CEO of the SDC, passing on the name to his daughter, the rightful heir, and cutting ties with everybody so that he will have a quiet and peaceful retirement."

"I hate to tell you this, Sister," Whitley spoke from somewhere in the room, all eyes turned to them and Weiss smirked again, "but he's already chosen me as the heir." He sounded so smug. . .

"When did he get here and where did he come from?" Ruby whispered to Weiss, who just gently shooed her away and approached her brother with her arms crossed.

"Hmm," Weiss hummed in mock thought, giving the impression that she was considering his words, "oh! That's right!" She clapped her hands together, offering him a bright smile, "He did choose you as the heir! Though, sadly, _Brother_, you are not old enough, nor are you capable enough, to take over the company. Not to mention, only our travesty of a family knows about that decision. So, legally, I was still the heir!" She turned away from him, "Take him away." She ordered the guards, who forced a very aggravated Jacques out the door.

Weiss glanced over her shoulder at Whitley again and her brows narrowed, malice gleaming in her eyes. "If you dare to usurp me, the same will happen to you. Leave." Ruby extended her arms as Weiss neared her and she gently drew her in for a hug, resting her chin on Weiss' shoulder and casting a smug look towards the retreating Whitley.

"That's my Weiss." Ruby whispered fondly.

"What are going to do about the arranged marriage and Liam?" Weiss suddenly asked. That's right. . . He hadn't shown up, that wasn't a good sign at all.

"Call it off," Ruby replied confidently, "you're in charge now, surely they would understand. . ."

"I hope so. . . Mr. Greer doesn't seem like the understanding kind. . ."

* * *

"What do you mean you're calling off the wedding?!"

Ruby's chest swelled with anger at the man's shout, seething with rage when she notices Weiss flinch, she moved in front of her fiancee as the burly man approached wearing a frown. "She said she's called off the arrangement." She answered, silver eyes glaring at the man looming over them."What part of that did you not understand?"

Mr. Greer glowered her suspiciously and rolled his eyes, deeming her unworthy of his time by placing his hand on her shoulder and roughly pushing her aside. Weiss held her hand up to Ruby, sending her a side glance to let her know she had everything under control. Ruby released an annoyed huff, her hands in fists and her nails digging into her palms. _'That bastard.' _

"I expected women in Atlas to know their place." Mr. Greer mumbled in disastification, now standing directly in front of Weiss. "_Especially _a woman of your ranking, Ms. Schnee."

"I do know my place, but do you know yours?" Weiss questioned him calmly, "I'm the new CEO of the SDC. Jacques Schnee has been locked away behind bars," her brows narrowed, "for reasons I believe you have association with."

Realization flickered through the man's eyes. "You can't prove anything."

"No," Weiss smiled, gesturing to someone behind Mr. Greer, "but your son can."

Ruby blinked at the sight of Liam, "Okay, where did _he _come from?" Her question went ignored by the three.

Mr. Greer's eyes widened in surprise as Liam came to his side with a wary smile, "He recorded your conversation concerning my fiancee's supposed death," Weiss explained as Liam opened said recording, "I could turn you in for assistance in attempted murder."

"He recorded it illegally-"

Liam cut him off, "Actually, I didn't," he laughed nervously, "you gave me permission to record anything I would want to remember during the meeting. I never said what I wanted to record. . ."

Mr. Greer turned back to Weiss and straightened his posture as an attempt to appear more threatening. "The world is expecting a wedding! You can't just call it off so suddenly!"

Weiss raised a brow, completely unphased by the failed attempt. "Well I guess they'll have to be disappointed." She muttered nonchalantly as Ruby returned to her side, ready to defend Weiss if necessary.

"They'll have their wedding," Liam suddenly spoke, wearing a smile this time, "it just won't be the one they're expecting."

A wedding nobody would be expecting. . .?

Ruby's eyes widened in disbelief and Liam sent her a knowing smile. She couldn't believe it. . . He was serious! She felt joy wash over her like a wave and tears stung in her eyes. "What are you talking about?" Weiss growled, "Did you not just hear me call it off?!" Ruby felt a stupid grin form on her lips and she grabbed her fiancee's shoulders, spinning the annoyed woman around to face her. "Ruby-!" Weiss snapped, but Ruby cut her off.

"He's talking about _our_ wedding, Weiss!"

Weiss grabbed her arms tightly as if she was having trouble comprehending what Ruby had said. She was quiet for a moment, Ruby giggled childishly when recognition flashed through Weiss' light blue gaze. "Our wedding?" She whispered in shock, her voice light and hopeful. "Wait," she turned to Liam, "you mean, you would do that?"

Liam shrugged, "Of course," he looked to his father briefly as if expecting him to interrupt, but the man simply shrugged in annoyance and left the room, muttering incoherent swears. Liam's green eyes looked back to Ruby and Weiss once his father was out of sight, "I didn't say anything, but I watched you two interact, and I'll say this: I know love when I see it. So who am I to take that away?"

"Let's backtrack for a second," Ruby immediately said when he finished, "what do you mean you watched us interact?"

The young man laughed nervously, "I um. . . I saw you two in the Greenhouse."

Weiss groaned, whirling around to face Ruby, "See?! What did I tell you?! Honestly, when are you going to start listening to me?"

Ruby raised her hands in defense, "Well, I-I didn't think- I listened- ugh! Weiss, be nice to me!" The woman whined in defeat, grabbing Weiss' shoulders, "I'm tired, I came all the way from Mistral with no food and little to no rest. Give me a break!"

"Well if you had eaten this morning-"

"I did eat!"

"You ate a box of strawberries, that's not food!"

"It is if I say-"

Liam laughed and their eyes turned to him, he offered a friendly smile to Weiss, "You have yourself a sweet one," he mentioned, "keep her."

Weiss fixed her eyes on Ruby again, who met her gaze with an endearing smile. "That's the plan. . ."


	16. My Queen

**_Chapter_** _**16:**_  
My Queen

_"Are you excited?" Ruby asked as she climbed onto the bed after switching the lights off, Weiss rolled over onto her side and blinked her eyes open to look at Ruby. Ruby smiled down at her and shifted so that she was comfortably hovering over the young CEO. Weiss hummed and returned the smile, "Tired already, Princess?"_

_Weiss chuckled weakly, "Of course, we've had a long week. . ." She replied, turning over on her back and folding her hands over her stomach. "Sure, I'm excited, but I'm worried as well. . ." If Ruby had to be honest with herself, she was nervous too. She couldn't explain it, but she felt as though she was being watched somehow, but Yang insisted that it was just the 'wedding day jitters' beginning to develop._

_Ruby furrowed her brows and leaned down, lightly resting her weight on top of the woman. Weiss' arms lifted and draped across her back, Ruby set her head in the crook of Weiss' neck. She let out a contented sigh before asking; "Why are you worried?"_

_"Just. . . Paranoid, I suppose." Ruby waited for Weiss to continue, letting her know that it was safe to talk to her. She could confide in Weiss with anything, and vice versa. At least, she hoped that Weiss felt comfortable enough to do so. . . A small smile came to her lips when Weiss spoke again, washing her fears away. "It's just, the whole thing with my father and cancelling the engagement went far too quickly. It's like, it was all planned somehow, it feels as though somebody's watching us and we fell right into their trap."_

_So she wasn't the only one, she wasn't crazy. . . Ruby lifted herself up again to look at Weiss, "I know what you mean. . . I feel it, too." she offered a reassuring smile, "Yang says it's just the wedding jitters, though. Nothing to worry about."_

_"I hope so. . ."_

_"Yeah, me too."_

* * *

"Alright! Up, up, up!"

Ruby blinked her eyes open as their hotel's bedroom door was roughly thrown open, though the voice that had rudely woken her from her slumber sounded like Yang. The lights flicked on and she groaned, shielding her eyes from the brightness by pulling the blankets up over her head. Her senses began to fade again as she slipped back into her dreamworld.

Her eyes flew open when blankets were suddenly snatched off of her body and her arm was pulled, her weight shifted to the edge of the bed and panic rolled through her. _'I'm being attacked!'_ Her mind snapped to consciousness and she kicked her legs out as an attempt to throw her opponent off. In the process, she'd managed to tumble out of bed and into a heap of blankets and tangled limbs. Wait, where was she? What was going on?

"Ruby?" Ruby's attention snapped up. Weiss. The baby. Her family was in danger. . . A surge of protectiveness rushed through Ruby and, her body pumped with adrenaline, she kicked the blankets off in one motion, quickly scrambling back to her feet and she whirled around to face the attacker; all she saw was a blur of yellow that her tired brain registered as an attack. Ruby quickly shifted her torso and hips to the right, positioning her arms to give the impression she was about to throw a punch. In a swift movement, she brought her leg out and up to deliver a hard kick to the intruder's side.

"Woah! HEY! Ruby!" Ruby's vision cleared when Yang quickly grabbed her leg, reeling her back to her senses. "Okay, that was a nice kick, but you still need some more training." She released her leg and Ruby stumbled to regain her balance, "If you thought I was attacking you, you should have acted on defense and not offense." Yang tossed a pile of clothes at her that Ruby scrambled to catch.

Once she had them gathered in her arms, the adrenaline fading away when she finally got a grasp on reality, Ruby was grabbed by the elbow and practically dragged out of the room. "What's going on?" She glanced over her shoulder when she heard Weiss, who was now sitting upright in bed with Blake by her side. Yang swung the bedroom door shut when they were out in the hall and turned to her with a bright smile.

"Now that that's over, let's go!"

Ruby rubbed her eyes, "Did you have to barge in there like that?" She asked, turning around and stepping into the bathroom to change. Yang released a quiet groan that didn't go unnoticed by the young woman.

"Did you have to attack me?" Yang countered, "I know you've been on the edge all week, since we had Jackass removed from the office, but I didn't think you that bad!" She leaned against the wall as Ruby closed the door. "Is this still about the whole 'being watched' thing?" Yang asked from outside the bathroom.

Ruby opened the door a minute later and stepped out. She hummed, "Yeah," she replied carefully, "Weiss feels it too. . . I don't think it's just wedding jitters, Yang."

Yang shrugged in response, placing a hand on Ruby's back. "If the Ice Queen feels it as well, then it's definitely just nervousness. Now come on! We've wasted enough time here and Blake is probably waiting for us to leave." Ruby tossed her night clothes to the couch, Yang laughed from behind her while opening the door. "I love how they made the hotel look like a literal apartment. Kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, a small lounge. . . Rather cozy! I'd live here, if I could!"

"It's a resort, Yang."

"Yeah, that's the word. Still, I'd live here."

Ruby chuckled, shutting the door behind her, "Yeah. I know." She turned back to Yang, wearing a smirk. "But don't you and Blake basically live in hotels, anyway? I mean, you're almost always on the move and never stay in one place." While she spoke, Yang spun on her heel and began walking away from the hotel with Ruby following closely behind.

"I'll have you know, Ruby," Yang started as they began down the staircase, "I've stayed here in Atlas for longer than I'm comfortable with. Now, I hope you're ready for the flight to Vale because that's where we're going right _now_."

Ruby raised a brow, "Right now? Yang, it's eight in the morning and the wedding isn't until seven-"

By now, they were already heading down the street and in the direction of the airport docs. "I'm aware, but I thought maybe you would like to see the family again before you're married, have your own little family, and forget all about us!" Yang laughed and threw her arm around Ruby's shoulder, "This is your last day as an unmarried woman, little sister, we need to make the most of it. Plus, you owe me," Yang pointed a playfully accusing finger at the brunette, "we decorated for you."

"Alright," Ruby sighed, "why do I feel like we'll be making major changes to y'all's design choices?"

Yang blinked at her and withdrew her arm, "Well. . . _Weiss _might." Ruby sent her sister a disapproving glare, "Hey, you two are the ones who agreed to let Dad, Qrow, and me decorate everything! Don't judge us, we had only Dad's advice to go off of and that wasn't much help."

"We only left you in charge of that because Weiss had a lot of stuff here to take care of before the wedding! Such as informing everybody of Jacques' unfortunate 'retirement' and announcing Wisteria as her heir." Ruby paused for a moment, "She's still filtering out shady business partners, but it isn't going well because some are unwilling to accept her as the new CEO and are giving her a hard time about her position. She's trying to get everything running smoothly despite the recent attacks, she's still trying to figure out who is behind it all. It's like. . . It's all linked somehow, and this feeling of dread just keeps getting stronger and we can't ignore it."

Ruby hung her head dejectedly, worried for her fiancee's health. If she kept stressing herself out like this. . . "It's only been a week, but it's taken a toll on her. Especially with the wedding coming up and the world expecting a marriage between her and Liam. . ." Ruby started picking at her fingernails nervously, "Then there's the baby. . ."

Yang sighed again, "Yeah," she whispered in agreement, "I can imagine how stressful it is for her. . ." Yang drew in a deep sigh and somehow, Ruby knew what she was about to ask. She'd asked the same question countless of times since she'd proposed, and Ruby always gave the same answer. "Ruby, are you sure you want to get married this young? I mean, you're only twenty. . ."

Ruby smiled, having already prepared her response. "I'm positive," she began gently, "we're huntresses, Yang, we often don't live very long lives. I also have silver eyes, and I've had people come after me wanting me dead simply for my eye color. . . People have come for Weiss wanting to kill her because of her Schnee heritage, or for crimes her father commit. This is Remnant, Yang, this isn't a fairytale story with a happy ending. . ." Ruby glanced away, "As huntresses, sooner or later, the horrors of this world will crush any source of happiness in our lives." Silver eyes met lilac again and Ruby straightened her posture, "I want to cherish my source of happiness for as long as the world will allow me to."

Ruby felt a smile tugging at the corners of her lips and tears came to her lips, "That happiness is found with Weiss and our baby. . . _My family_."

Yang stared at her for a minute as Ruby slowly came back to reality, nervousness and anxiety bubbling up inside of her when she was met by silence. "I mean, uh, yeah, I'm sure I wanna get married. I love her, and we're expecting a baby, so it'd be kinda weird if we didn't get married. Plus we're already engaged and have been for nearly-"

"Ruby, you're rambling," Yang interrupted, wearing an amused smirk, "I know you love her. You yelled it out for all of Beacon to hear."

Ruby blushed wildly, grinning and chewing on her bottom lip, "Well, she yelled it back, so. . ."

Yang just laughed and grabbed Ruby's shoulders, spinning her around to face the airport docs. "We're here," she announced, gesturing over to a familiar group of four standing near a pink and green airship, "and look who it is! We already have a ride!"

"You're acting weird," Ruby noted, glancing up at her sister as she was pushed into the airship, "what are you hiding?"

"Wha-? Me? Hiding something from my dear, sweet sister? Never!" Yang smirked, stepping in beside her as the airship door closed. "By the way, Nora and Pyrrha will help you when we reach Vale. I need to check on something when we land, but I'll be back before you know it!"

Ruby blinked at her sister and shrugged, deciding not to seek answers. "Alright. . ." She replied cautiously, "But tell me something: Why are JNPR here?"

"We're just picking you two up, dropping off our wedding gifts, and leaving for our mission." Jaune replied before Yang could, "We'd love to stay for the wedding, but we promised Mr. Raye that we would have his old farm cleared out by the time he returns."

"Ah," Ruby nodded in acknowledgement, "well, don't get killed."

"Funny." Jaune muttered under his breath, "You can't pin that on me anymore, you were confirmed dead for an entire week."

Ruby smirked, "My mission was rigged. You, on the other hand, clearly didn't learn anything from initiation and walked straight into a Nevermore's nest."

"That was four years ago!"

"It's still funny!"

* * *

[Weiss]

_"I actually kind of like this one."_

_Weiss lifted her head as Blake withdrew another dress from the clothing rack, holding it up for Weiss to see. "I think it would look beautiful on you." The woman hummed, scrutinizing the dress before taking it from her friend and holding it up in the mirror. It was indeed pretty, and almost exactly what she was looking for: Classic low-cut, sideway sleeves, and sporting a floral-like pattern. She just didn't feel the spark, there was something about the dress that she just didn't like, she couldn't put her finger on it. "You're making that face. . ." Blake muttered as Weiss handed the dress back wordlessly, "Weiss, this is literally the last dress with your measurements. . ."_

_Weiss rolled her eyes, "Well then they need to restock." She replied bluntly as Blake hung the dress back up, "It looks like half of these dresses have been in here collecting dust for months!" Blake shook her head and pulled her scroll out, marking the store off the list and starting for the exit, "We still haven't set a date for the wedding, so I think we have plenty of time to find a dress. Vale just doesn't seem to have good ones. . ."_

_Blake cast her a side-glance and smiled, "I know, Weiss, but it's better to have a wedding dress ready and prepared before the wedding. That way you have time to make changes to it as much as you like. What if you set a date for the wedding, didn't have a dress picked out and when you find one, you don't have time to make it perfect?" Weiss opened her mouth to respond, but nothing came out. "I know you, so it would be good for you to find a dress before you set a date. You'll be picky and want to make last-minute changes."_

_"I would not!" Weiss protested, but Blake just laughed, "Hey! I'm not indecisive like some people."_

_"You mean like your fiancee?" Blake raised a brow._

_"Ruby's not indecisive- okay, well, sometimes she is. Back to the point: We have plenty of time to-" Weiss silenced herself, stopping dead in her tracks. Out of the corner of her eye, she'd noticed an employee setting up a mannequin in the window and adjusting the dress. Silently, the employee stepped back and examined it before placing what looked to be a 'coming soon' sign in the window. Without uttering a word to her friend, Weiss swiftly turned to approach the mannequin as the worker walked away. She glanced at the sign and rolled her eyes, unable to read the print mirrored. _

_She fixed her eyes on the dress, feeling something indescribable run through her. Blake laughed from beside her and Weiss raised a brow, casting a look in her direction. The faunus just twitched her ears in response, "I think you just found your dress."_

[Present]  
-Atlas-

"Where exactly are you taking me?"

After Yang had practically dragged Ruby out of the hotel, Blake requested that Weiss wear comfortable attire and insisted that she sent Myrtenaster off with Yang. Blake had left her weapon behind at the hotel, but it was clear that her friend was very uncomfortable without it. Weiss, on the other hand, had gone without her sword long enough to have gotten used to the feeling. She had to admit that she felt vulnerable and defenseless, though.

"To the salon," Blake replied after a moment, her ears twitching nervously when a scowl was sent in their direction, "after all of the stress you've had to carry recently, you need to relax." The woman sighed, "I could use it as well. . ."

Hearing something above them, Weiss glanced up to the roofs towering over them and squinted. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. . . Shaking her head and passing it off as paranoia, she refocused her attention on Blake. "Are you sure you don't want to go back for your weapon? You seem very. . . apprehensive about being without it."

Blake offered a small smile, "I'm fine, Weiss. . . I left my weapon behind so nobody feels threatened by a strange faunus with a sword."

Weiss hummed, "Well, I could've said that you're my bodyguard if anybody questioned it." Blake just chuckled and Weiss smiled, "What do you think about that, by the way?" The raven-haired woman raised a brow, "When the news got out that I took over the company, we had a lot of the staff quit because they were, ironically, still loyal to my father. So we lost a good portion of the guards, and do you remember that young boy in Vacuo who dreamed of becoming part of the military?"

"Yeah, the little tiger boy?" Weiss nodded and Blake sighed, "He was so young, he'd never faced discrimination before. . . His family didn't deserve what happened to them."

Weiss' heart fell and she breathed in deeply, "Yeah, well," she hesitated, "the world has a knack for destroying purity and innocence. . ." It had a thing for consuming the people like Ruby, the people with hope in their hearts; she'd come so close to losing her, Weiss wasn't sure if she would be able to handle that again. What if she lost her child, too? The evil fed off of the children's innocence and used it towards their advantage, and the fear, heartbreak, and grief that the parents felt only made them stronger.

"Anyway," Weiss lifted her head when Blake spoke, "what were you saying about faunus?" Blake asked, glancing back over her shoulder cautiously.

"I'm thinking about hiring some faunus to the staff, not as servants, but as paid workers." The woman eyed Weiss suspiciously and the CEO just smiled, "You're a big name among the faunus community, so perhaps you could help me out?"

Blake shrugged, "I suppose I could. But be careful, Weiss, some of them aren't willing to let go of the past so easily. The discrimination they faced, the hatred and the blood that was shed during the war, they can't forget that and it clouds their judgement. Some could be former members of the White Fang seeking to destroy you."

Weiss nodded, "Yes, I'm aware," she whispered quietly, "but I'll be ready. . ."

Blake's eyes widened, "Weiss, you're pregnant. You can't-"

"If it comes down to it, I'll fight. I'm not going to sit around and be a pushover. . . I'm a trained huntress, I'm not fragile." Weiss explained carefully, wanting her friend to understand her reasoning. She would just have to avoid taking hard hits, seeing that they could knock her unconscious, a rough blow could very easily kill her baby. . . Her chest tightened and she drew in a deep breath, calming herself again.

They would be okay. . .

"Yes, and then Ruby would murder me for allowing you to even consider this. . ." Blake half-joked.

Weiss laughed, "I'm sure she wouldn't murder you, probably just rough you up a bit. That's only if you let her, though." She turned to Blake. "So when are you and Yang thinking about getting engaged?" Weiss asked curiously.

"Whenever we're ready," Blake responded lightly, "Yang and I want to see the rest of the world before settling down and starting a family. . ."

"Bring us some souvenirs. We're trapped, we have a baby." Weiss giggled, Blake just gave her a thumbs up and Weiss stopped dead in her tracks, "We've also arrived." She knew this city like the back of her hand, she didn't need to look up and check if they were at the right place, the smell confirmed it for her. She opened the door and stepped inside, Blake right behind her.

The faunus immediately recoiled in disgust and surprise when the aroma of the salon hit her nose. Weiss just barely bit back her laughter when she caught sight of the woman's scrunched up face, "Ugh. . . Nobody told me the smell would be _this _strong."

Weiss giggled, "Smells fine to me."

"Lucky you," Blake glared, "just give me a minute to get used to it."

"Hi! How can I help you?" A woman holding a hand towel asked as she came around the corner with a wide smile, her eyes instantly landed on Blake and uncertainty crossed her face. The lady set the towel aside, "Ahem. . . I'm sorry," she began and Weiss frowned, her entire demeanor changed in a split second.

"Is there a problem?" Weiss asked, her voice almost dripping venom.

The lady fidgeted, noticing that they were drawing attention. "I'm not sure if my Boss would be alright with. . . Your friend being here after what happened." Weiss raised a brow, silently asking the woman for context. She had a hunch that she already knew. The lady cleared her throat, "You must understand, ma'am, we're usually faunus friendly, but there have been attacks here recently. . . All of them lead back to the faunus, so we're just being-"

Weiss cut her off, "These attacks lead back to an anonymous source, we don't know anything yet." She wasn't ignorant towards the mentioned attacks, but she had an inkling that the faunus weren't involved in any way. "I can assure you that my friend is not a threat. Now; Schnee reservation?"

The lady hesitated and checked her screen for the name, her eyes widening in quick recognition. "Oh you're here for the- I'm so sorry-" Weiss held her hand up, hoping it would silence the woman's apology. The lady nodded quietly and she gestured to the door, "It appears that somebody from your party arrived a few minutes ago. Koamaru can help take you three to the bride's section. . ."

Weiss blinked, confusion etched into her face. "I'm sorry, did you say three? Who else is here?"

"Oh, um, a woman with white hair and a little girl came in earlier and said they're waiting on somebody who has an appointment. Aren't you with them?" The lady asked, her eyes occasionally flickering to Blake. Weiss raised a brow in response and the woman cleared her throat, "Hey, um Koa?" Another lady poked her head out from behind a door that Weiss assumed lead to the office. "Could you take these two to the bride's section where the other lady is waiting?"

Weiss glanced towards Blake when the woman stepped out and signaled for the two to follow her, "Winter," Weiss whispered under her breath as the worker opened a door and lead them up the staircase. "I didn't think she'd actually come. . ."

"Why not?" Blake asked, tilting her head ever so slightly. Weiss felt a small smirk tugging at her lips, noting that she wasn't the only one who had picked up mannerisms from Ruby.

"She has Wisteria now, so I figured she'd be busy with her since-"

"My little sister is getting married today, of course I would attend." A sharp, yet calm, feminine voice interrupted Weiss and the young CEO whirled around to see her sister sitting in the far left of the room, Wisteria playing on her scroll next to her. A dissatisfied frown crossed Winter's lips, "Though, I do wonder why it's being held in Vale when you're here in Atlas?"

Weiss smiled nervously, "Uhm," she glanced towards the woman preparing everything and waiting for them, "to avoid attacks. . . We're safer in Vale, and it's where our home is."

Home. . . She was going home. The image of the two-story cabin she and Ruby had built with the help of their friends, Tai, and Qrow, flashed through her mind. The smell of freshly baked sweets, vanilla and strawberries, all mixed with the smell of the outdoors just made her more anxious to return home. _'Soon we'll have our own little one running around. . .' _

"Weiss." The woman glanced up at her sister, who sent her an amused smirk, "you're wearing that ridiculous enamored smile again."

Was it really that noticeable. . .? _'Damn it.'_

"Excuse me?" Weiss turned her attention to Koamaru, who offered her a kind smile, "What would you like to do first, ma'am?"

Weiss sighed, glancing over her shoulder at the other two before replying. "I could really use a massage."

* * *

[Ruby]

-Vale-

The airship landed in Vale two hours later, JNPR dropped off their gifts and they bid each other farewell. A few minutes after they landed, Ruby was sent to her house while Yang left to check up on something in town, leaving her on her own. She didn't mind, though. It felt nice to be back in Vale, but she had to admit that it felt lonely without Weiss. . . It was too quiet, and the couch felt cold beyond comprehension without her fiancee pressed into her side. She wasn't used to this. . .

It didn't feel like home without the smell of freshly baked sweets, the TV on and nobody watching it, the sound of laughter, happy singing, the scent of vanilla, strawberries, and roses. . . Instead, it was dead silent, save for the tapping of the scroll Weiss had bought for her after she'd lost her last scroll.

_'That makes how many I've lost during missions?'_ Ruby clicked out of the game was playing, having long grown bored of it. '_Four? Five? I really need to be more careful. . .'_

Ruby sighed and shut her scroll, leaning back into the couch and closing her eyes. She could still smell the scents that lingered in the air, but they were faint and hardly detectable. Or, it was just her imagination. Her eyes drifted towards the pictures hung across the walls and a small smile form on her lips, Ruby slid off the couch, leaving her scroll, behind and approached them.

The center photo was a picture taken the day of their graduation holding their team's certificate. Most of them were of Ruby and Weiss, but there were a few of Blake and Yang, and a couple of Tai and Qrow, too. Ruby glanced to a picture of herself and Weiss after their first mission as certified huntresses, both of them were filthy and bleeding as their aura had depleted, but they were proud.

The memory came rushing back to her; Ruby remembered being exhausted and bordering her limit, slipping in and out of consciousness after overusing her aura and semblance. In front of her, she remembered seeing Weiss struggling to stand to her feet and block a heavy hit from the Beringel and quickly summoned glyph, she'd been using the last of her energy to give Ruby time to recover. Upon seeing Ruby regaining consciousness, she'd created a pattern for the girl to follow, signalling to her that she'd found a weak spot on the monster and was giving her the advantage to end the fight. Ruby remembered gathering the energy she needed and bolting towards the Grimm, using her partner's glyphs to aid her ascent and soaring above the creature. In one spinning attack, the blade of Crescent Rose had miraculously broke through the Beringel's thick skin and sliced into its head, killing it.

Needless to say, she'd received a scolding for being careless in the first place and using up all of her energy before the fight was over. Her only defense was the fact the Beringel quite literally came out of nowhere and targeted Weiss, but the woman was still frustrated with her for a few hours afterwards. Now that she was looking back, she understood her fiancee's frustration. . .

The lien they'd earned that day was part of what helped them build their home. A small, cozy, two-story cabin in a forest vacant of Grimm with a hot spring and a river nearby, nothing too fancy. They could've settled for an apartment, but they both wanted a place where they could make as much noise as they wanted.

Her eyes wandered to the picture above it and a stupid grin came to her face, this one was actually a screenshot from a video Nora recorded the night before their Beacon graduation; she and Yang had planned a party that took place on the academy's training grounds in the forest, a little ways away from the school. Despite it only being open to fourth-years only, people were everywhere and the music had been cranked up so loud that Ruby had been paranoid about them being found.

Ruby felt a smile tug at the corners of her lips, her mind slowly slipping back in time. A few hours into the party, she'd wandered away from Jaune (who'd gotten completely wasted) and Pyrrha (who had practically carried him back to the dorms) in search of Weiss. She remembered excusing her way through the crowd, just barely avoiding having wine poured all over her by some of the rowdy boys Nora had invited. She'd found her white-haired heiress sitting alone away from the mob and approached her.

Due the party not being the kind she was used to, Weiss gone off on her own to stay out of the way and avoid being trampled. Wanting her to feel more comfortable, Ruby had offered to take her for a dance a little ways from the group. According to the video Nora had taken, that was when she'd begun recording, when Weiss took Ruby's hand and allowed her to lead her away. She'd allowed Weiss to take the lead, guiding her through the steps of the dance that Ruby had yet to learn. She remembered watching Weiss' eyes light up, both of them moving to the rhythm of a silent song. She remembered taking Weiss by surprise as the 'song' ended, stepping up to take control of the dance and twirling her.

The screenshot taken from the video was the moment Ruby had pulled Weiss into her arms and kissed her, unaware of the audience they'd had.

She stepped back and took in the whole gallery, her heart swelling with affection and tears forming in her eyes. There was a picture of the team's first Christmas as first-years with Yang front and center of the photo with the rest of the team behind her, their first New Year's taken at a party with JNPR, one of the team in Patch for Winter Break, a photo of Yang and Blake secretly snapped during their Valentine's date, one of Yang and Tai in the kitchen at their childhood house, and so many more. Ruby's personal favorite was a picture taken on the day of the proposal.

Ruby sighed, "There are going to be so many more pictures added to this wall. . ." She whispered to herself. A wedding picture, countless pictures of their baby growing up, family portraits. . .

Maybe one of their children. . .

"Barely three hours away from her and you're already missing her?" Ruby glanced up at her sister standing in the doorway with a smirk on her face. "Wow, how are you going to handle staying away from your dear beloved princess for a _whole day_? Gosh, that'll be absolutely torture for you, wouldn't it?" Yang chuckled as Ruby met her eyes. "Relax, I'm just teasing."

"What were you checking up on?" Ruby asked, unfazed by Yang's sudden appearance.

"Nah-uh," Yang waved a finger, "that's a secret. You can see after the wedding, or if you're lucky, before," Ruby rolled her eyes and Yang grinned, "come on! We best get going, I was just going to take you to see Dad, Holly, and Uncle Qrow this morning, but I changed my mind, I need to take you to prepare for the wedding and you can't say no."

"As if I had a choice in the matter in the first place," Ruby hummed, turning back and grabbing her scroll from the couch, "hey Yang? Where did Weiss and Blake go?" She asked, slipping her scroll into her pocket and instinctively reaching to adjust her cloak- which wasn't there. She needed to make a new one stat. . . She felt exposed and naked without it and Crescent Rose attached to her back. Speaking of which, she probably needed a new weapon soon. Her temporary weapon wasn't necessarily bad, she just preferred something more complex.

Yang's voice reeled her back to reality, "Ah, since we're in Vale, I suppose I could tell you." Yang shut the door and Ruby held her scroll up to the lock, which scanned her scroll and a clicking sound followed a few seconds later. The house was secured. "Blake probably took her the Dawnwind Spa & Salon. If I know Weiss, they probably went straight to the bath."

_'Bath.' _and _'Weiss' _were the only words Ruby had really heard, causing lewd images to flood her mind. Ruby snorted, "I'm sorry," she apologized, not sounding too apologetic, "all I heard was that Weiss is naked."

The brawler rolled her eyes and sighed in exasperation, clearly displeased with her little sister's comment. "I wonder if it's too late to cancel the wedding gift and disown you?" Yang thought out loud before glancing back at her sister with a hard glare, stopping beside Bumblebee."Thank you, so very much, for putting those images in my head." She growled sarcastically.

"Blake is with her."

"Okay, that's enough. We're not talking about this. Change of topic: I'll be happy when things go back to normal for you two. Seeing you two being so affectionate is weird." The blonde said as she climbed onto her motorcycle, "Speaking of which, since you're being so lovey-dovey recently, you got anything written for the wedding vows?"

Ruby stopped dead in her tracks, ice rolling through her veins. Vows. . . Written vows. She hadn't even thought of that! _'Fuck!' _Just like with written assignments at Beacon, she'd slacked off and forgotten, only to be reminded at the last second. _'Things never change, do they?'_ Ruby shook her head, "Nope. . ." She whispered quietly, guilt stinging at her heart, "I should probably get to work on that, shouldn't I?"

Yang bit back a snort and Ruby smiled nervously, the older woman shook her head in amusement. "Oh dear, sweet little sister. . . This is something I honestly didn't think you would forget."

"Heh, well. . . A lot has happened since I got back. I didn't have time." Ruby muttered, climbing on behind her sister, "So, where are we going?"

Lilac eyes glanced back at her and the blonde smirked, "We're heading to the Firefly salon."

Ruby groaned as the engine was started. "No, anywhere but there. . . They don't understand the meaning of privacy, or personal space!"

"They're just doing their job, Ruby. You'll enjoy it! Now, hold on."

* * *

[Weiss]  
-Atlas-

Weiss had just come out of the bath and reentered the salon when she saw a sight she never thought she would see: Her sister sitting in a chair, her hair loose and being trimmed. Weiss wasn't sure what was funnier; Winter clearly trying to refrain from decking the woman behind her in the face, or the fact that her sister was actually in a salon getting her hair done.. It was obvious that she didn't feel very comfortable, she was stiff, despite the woman constantly asking her to relax.

Wisteria, on the other hand, was excited to try everything. She'd befriended a young woman and each time she saw something she liked, she would rush to Winter and ask if she could do it too.

"Mother! The lady over there said I can have my hair done too! Can I?"

_'Speak of the devil.' _Weiss glanced up to see Wisteria rushing over to Winter with a magazine in hand, the older woman sighed in exasperation as the little girl handed her a magazine, "She said to ask you!" Wisteria exclaimed, pointing to a lady on the far side of the room, who just nervously waved when Winter looked her way.

"Wisteria," Winter muttered bluntly, handing the magazine back to the dejected child without sparing it a single look, "your hair is fine. You don't need any preparations. . . Now go play." Shoulders slacking, the little girl nodded and shuffled away from her mother, the magazine drooping in her hand and her head hanging.

Weiss turned her attention to her sister, her brows furrowed. The woman met her gaze, "Why can't she?" Weiss asked quietly, "She is the flower girl after all. She can have her hair done for that if she wants to."

Winter raised a brow, "Very well," she hesitated, "Wisteria!" She called to the child, who lifted her head from her coloring book, her teal-blue eyes lighting up with hope, Winter gestured to Weiss, "You can have your hair styled. . . Take the magazine to Weiss, she'll help you." As soon as the words left the woman's mouth, Wisteria grabbed the magazine and sped away from the little table, stopping in front of her aunt and handing it to her.

Weiss chuckled and flipped it open, patting her lap for the child to climb up. Eyes sparkling, Wisteria pulled herself up into Weiss' lap and the woman slid both arms around her so that they could look at the magazine. "Are you ready?" The lady who'd given Wisteria the magazine asked, approaching Weiss with a brush, Weiss glanced up into the mirror to make eye contact with her and nodded, "The one we discussed earlier, then?"

Upon hearing the lady's voice, Wisteria took the magazine and held it up, "I get to have my hair done styled like Auntie!" She announced happily, the lady just laughed and Weiss carefully took the paper back, "Which one do you like?" The child asked, tilting her head back to look at Weiss.

Weiss hummed and tapped at the first one she saw, "I think this one would look pretty on you," she commented, sitting back when the lady tapped on her shoulder for her to straighten herself, "what do you think?"

Wisteria grinned and tapped on the image next to the one Weiss had gestured to, "I like this one!" She laughed, "It looks like yours but more curly and brown!"

The woman rolled her eyes, relaxing herself as the lady behind her got to work on her hair. "Does it?" She asked as Wisteria snuggled up against her side and shifted the magazine for Weiss to see, "Ah it does. But is that really what you want?"

The little girl nodded enthusiastically, "Yeah!"

"Go tell Miss Koamaru." Weiss gave her niece a gentle push on the back, "I'm sure she can do your hair real quick." The small child nodded and slid out of her lap and ran off with the magazine in hand, quickly running up to the blue-haired woman who had just entered the room. Weiss chuckled as Wisteria presented the image to the woman, who glanced towards Winter and nodded, gesturing for her to sit down in the nearest chair.

"You know," Winter started quietly, Weiss turned her attention to her older sister, "judging by the way you treat Wisteria, you'll be a good mother." Her tone was almost affectionate, but forlorn and stiff at the same time. "Do you two have a name picked out?"

"No." Weiss replied quietly, "We want to wait and see what gender they are first," she cracked a smile, "I'm kind of hoping for a little girl."

"Of course you are." Blake finally spoke up, amusement in her voice, "But let's be honest here, there's a very high chance you'll have a daughter considering neither one of the parents have the male gene. Unless. . ." The woman smirked when Weiss shifted her eyes towards Blake, glaring at her through the mirror, "I'm just kidding."

Weiss raised a brow, "You've been hanging around Yang for far too long. . . She's rubbed off on you."

"Finished!" The woman behind her announced suddenly, stepping away for Weiss to observe her reflection. Weiss' eyes lit up and warmth blossomed in her chest, "Would you like anything else added?" The worker asked, noticing the glee on her face. Something flashed through Weiss' eyes and she smiled, turning to look at the woman.

"Actually, there is."

* * *

[Ruby]  
-Vale-

_'Is that. . . Really me?'_ Ruby wondered, staring at her reflection in the mirror with wide eyes. Her shoulder-length hair was brushed and blow-dried, her bangs neatly combed to the right side of her face. Instead of a silky white dress, she wore a snowy white tuxedo with red linings within the coat, her rose pin in the place of the tie, black jeans and shoes to match. _'That can't be me.'_ She'd always been told that she would wear a dress at her wedding, so why had she opted for this? Why did she like it so much?

"I think she likes it." Ruby glanced over her shoulder, seeing Yang in the corner of the room with a middle-aged woman, but Ruby didn't say a word. The blonde chuckled, "So are we ready to go?" She asked, coming to Ruby's side with a broad grin. The brunette felt a small smile come to lips and she met her sister's cheerful lilac eyes.

"Yeah."

"One more thing." Yang announced, turning away and approaching a box she'd brought with her. She flipped it open and Ruby leaned to the side, trying to peek into the box over her sister's shoulder. Her eyes widened as Yang retrieved two items from the box, a folded up white cloak, and a very familiar red and black weapon. Her heart almost stopped in her chest. Crescent Rose. . . Her mother's cloak. . . "When we thought we lost you, I kept your weapon and we cut your cloak into three pieces. I had Crescent Rose sent back to Patch with Uncle Qrow for safekeeping and he put it with Summer's cloak. Since you're, well, alive, I thought it would be a nice wedding gift. Even though you're supposed to receive those _after _the wedding."

"Please don't unfold that thing in here." The worker requested cautiously.

Ruby quietly took the weapon from the other woman and examined it, tears stinging in her eyes as relief rolled through her. It was all in one piece, almost completely unharmed, save for a few minor scratches that she could easily fix once she got home. "I thought I lost you. . ." She whispered, relishing in the all-too familiar weight of it, "I-I thought I had it with me when I went off the edge of the cliff. . . I thought it fell into the water. . ."

"Almost," Yang gave a small smile, "Weiss said she found the blade of Crescent Rose embedded in the edge of the cliff, said Nora picked it up once they arrived."

Guilt and realization struck her in the heart again and the brunette gripped her weapon tight, avoiding the button that would unfold the blade. If Weiss found her weapon like that, it would make sense as to why she believed that she was dead; if she hadn't been killed, she'd have been unconscious and drowned. "That explains everything," Ruby whispered painfully, imagining the grief-stricken expression on her fiancee's face, "that explains why she reacted the way she did. . ."

"Hey, hey, hey!" Yang tilted her sister's chin up again, "no negative thoughts. We have a wedding to go to! And you have to wear this whether you like it or not!" She grinned as she unrolled the white cloak, "Turn around," she instructed and Ruby obliged, turning so that her back faced the blonde, "there you go. . ." Yang whispered as she clipped the cloak around Ruby's neck and straightened the hood. "Matches your outfit perfectly!"

"Thanks," Ruby chuckled, reaching up and toying with the clip of her mother's cloak, nostalgia rushing through her, "now are we ready to go?" She asked, wearing a teasing smirk.

"Yep!"

* * *

When they'd arrived, Ruby had immediately went to work on redecorating everything she knew Weiss wouldn't approve of. She knew what she would've preferred by now, having lived with her for the past five years. She was a neatfreak, and very picky, one item out of place would bother the white-haired woman to no end. Thankfully, there wasn't much she had to redo and it only took a few minutes. If something still bothered Weiss, she would either have to fix it herself or just tolerate it.

"I think I'm done." Ruby announced as she stepped off the chair, kicking it back into place and adjusting it before turning around to face Yang, "So, whatcha-" she trailed off when she came face-to-face with Liam, Yang was nowhere to be found. Ruby's expression changed into one of cautiousness and uncertainty, "You're not Yang."

The man smiled, "No, I'm not," he glanced up to the decorations and hummed, "so are these the decorations you two had picked out?" Liam asked curiously, clearly trying to make smalltalk with the brunette. "They're pretty!"

"What do you want?" Ruby asked bluntly, unwilling to make conversation with him.

Liam chuckled at her response. "You two are made for each other, aren't you? Blunt and straightforward." He commented briefly, "Don't worry, I'm just wanting to know how we would do this without her seeing you."

Ruby raised a brow, "We discussed this. You're in my place until she reaches the Altar, and then you leave, that's when I make my appearance." She explained quietly, a small smirk forming at the corner of her lips. "And if you don't follow the plan, I'll make sure to cut you up into tiny, little pieces."

"G-got it." Fear in his eyes, Liam gave her a nervous thumbs up and smiled, "S-so when does she arrive?"

Ruby tilted her head up and gestured to the airship descending to the docs, "That's their ship. Right on time." She turned back to Liam and frowned, "I'll be watching you. . ."

* * *

Ruby glanced at the time on her scroll, reading 7:12 and drawing in a deep breath. The wedding would start at 7:30, and time was going by agonizingly slow for the brunette. She closed her eyes and listened to the chatter of the audience, she couldn't make out a single word, but at least it drowned out the drumming of her heart. Was she breathing? She couldn't tell. Ruby shook her head and peeked around the corner to examine the guests; some had clearly flown from Atlas and were sitting by themselves, impatiently waiting for the wedding to begin, and the rest were friends and acquaintances they'd made over the years. Judging by the solemn expressions they wore behind their smiles, they'd come to support Weiss.

Ruby's eyes trailed towards the cameramen a few feet behind the audience, and her chest tightened. She'd really been hoping they didn't show up, but of course they would, they were expecting a union between two of the wealthiest families in Remnant. They wouldn't be too happy when Ruby made her appearance. _'I just hope they don't attack.'_ She had Crescent Rose with her, but she really didn't want to make a scene unless she absolutely had to. _'What if the wedding is a complete disaster?'_

"Ruby," Ruby looked over her shoulder to see Yang quickly approaching her with a frantic expression "come on, we gotta hide you." She furrowed her brows in confusion and Yang sighed, "Liam is on his way and he's supposed to be here. His parents will be with him, so we need to hide you. Now." The brunette nodded and followed closely behind her sister wordlessly.

Yang stopped and leaned out around the corner, she nodded and gestured for Ruby to run across. "Go up the staircase and to the balcony," she told her, gesturing to the rectangular balcony hovering above them, "you'll be able to see everything from there. Nobody's supposed to be up there, so you won't be seen. Put your scroll on vibrate and I'll send a message when it's time for you to come out." Yang gave Ruby a push on the shoulder and the brunette rolled her eyes, activating her semblance and bolting up the staircase without being seen.

Silently, the woman came around to the balcony and peered over the edge, "Wow." She whispered breathlessly, taking in the sight from above. "It's beautiful. . ." Ruby's eyes flickered over to Yang rushing up to the altar with an indescribable grin and a microphone in hand. "What're you doing?" The brunette frowned as the blonde tapped the mic on and got everybody's attention.

"Hello~!" Yang greeted everyone happily, briefly glancing up to Ruby, "How are you all on this glorious day?" She asked, grinning when familiar voices shouted their responses.

"Who are you?" An Atlesian man with a thick accent called up to the blonde, clearly unamused. "Are you supposed to be here?"

Yang laughed and turned to the man, who had apparently stood up. "Who am I?" Yang repeated with an amused voice, which seemed to annoy the man even further. "Relax, I'm a friend of the bride and I simply want to say something before the wedding begins." Before anybody else could interrupt her, Yang faced the exit with a shit-eating grin, "Hey, Ice Queen!" Well, this was gonna end smoothly."I know we had a rocky start, but I'm gonna say this and you better be listening!"

Ruby leaned over the balcony as Yang finished up, "I give you my blessing once more, and I'm happy for you and the partner you've chosen!" Yang glanced up to her again, "Even if they can be a pain in the ass! But hey, if you're into that. . . Alright, that is all, folks! Goodbye!" Without another word, Yang left.

The warmth in her chest went out like a light the moment Liam stepped up onto the altar, having snuck around the front and made his appearance without making any noises. Something twisted inside of her gut that she could only describe as jealousy and she grit her teeth, "That speech wasn't for him." She growled to nobody in particular, watching the man as he neatly clasped his hands behind his back and fixed his attention on the exit.

A moment later, the music began and Ruby's heart flew to her throat when her scroll buzzed. She pulled it out and clicked it open, skimming over Yang's message before silencing it and slipping it back into her pocket. The beat of her heart began to drum in her ears when she heard the doors open and her hands, which she didn't even notice were clutching the railing, began to tremble. Ruby closed her eyes momentarily before stiffly moving from her spot on the balcony, walking to the side with her eyes drifting towards the large, open doors. She stopped in her tracks and cracked a smile as Wisteria and Mavi came walking inside.

The camera zoomed in on the children following them down the was wearing a white, floral dress with her hair tied up in a wavy side-ponytail. Mavi, on the other hand, had his blackish blue hair neatly combed to the left and wore a white suit with a black tie. Once they started down the aisle, Wisteria reached into her basket and tossed a handful of flower petals out, grinning when Mavi shifted the pillow into one hand and copied his sister. Ruby smirked when the four-year old glanced over his shoulder and repositioned himself, Wisteria littering the floor with petals before the two of them moved off to the left.

Ruby's breath left her when all eyes turned to the entrance and she gripped the railing again, leaning over slightly when the camera faced the doors and zoomed in. This was really happening. . . _'__Am I ready?' _Ruby hesitated, turning her head away and squeezing her eyes shut,_ '__Are we ready? Would the marriage last? Am I taking this too far? Do I love her?' _Drawing in a deep breath, her heart pounding erratically in her chest, the brunette faced the balcony again and looked down.

Her heart stopped and the world fell silent as Weiss stepped into her line of sight._ '__What was I thinking?_' Ruby's chest tightened and swelled with love at the same time, almost overwhelming her._ '__I love her more than anything. . .' _She had to remember to breathe.

Gasps of astonishment filled the room, followed by whispers and slight gestures towards the approaching woman. Ruby didn't have a very good view from above, but what she did see caused her heart to pound loudly. Weiss wore a bright white dress with a rose-like pattern decorating the train of her dress and the corset embracing her thin waist; her long hair appeared to be asymmetrically braided into a bun, topped off by a small, familiar ruby-gemed tiara. Ruby glanced down to the bouquet and chuckled quietly, noticing the matching patterns. Must've taken a long time to get those lined up. . .

"You look. . . Beautiful." Ruby whispered under her breath, her gaze locked on her soon-to-be-wife. She started down the side of the balcony, keeping stride with Weiss and watching her every movement. In her eyes, the other woman was the only person in the entire building, the only one who mattered.

The magic was broken when a cameramen whistled from the pews and Ruby rolled her eyes, glancing towards the man as all eyes turned to him and a glyph appeared beneath his feet, throwing him out of the building almost immediately. No words were spoken against it. Ruby chuckled and turned away, approaching the staircase and Weiss stepped onto the altar. She glanced up once they were in her line of sight again and smiled as Liam stepped down and away from Weiss. Immediately, gasps and frantic whispers filled the room and Ruby bit back a laugh.

"What is he doing?"  
"Where is he going?"  
"Is he ditching her? Asshole!"  
"Someone's catching this on camera, right?!"  
"I knew this would happen!"

That's when Ruby decided to make her appearance. She calmed her breathing and relaxed herself, straightening her posture before striding out into the open as she descended through the stairs, all eyes landed on her and confused gasps and more chattering echoed in the room. The brunette instantly smiled, calming herself as her eyes instantly found Weiss' light blue pair. The chatter calmed down as pure shock was clear in everyone's faces as she approached the altar.

When the woman waiting for her smiled at her, Ruby offered a charming grin in return. Adoration struck her now that she had a more proper view of her fiancee. Reaching the altar, she took Weiss' outstretched hand and stepped up to stand in front of her, their hands still intertwined. She felt all the eyes on her, startled by the whole situation.

"Is this right?" Ruby glanced at the priest, who was staring at them with a perplexed expression, "Two brides?" He looked towards Weiss, who gave Ruby's hands a light squeeze and nodded her response. Ruby waited a second, watching as confusion, realization, and finally acceptance flashed through the man's dull eyes. "Alright," he fixed his eyes on Ruby, "what is your name?" He asked quietly.

"Ruby Rose." Ruby replied, smiling when recognition flickered in his eyes. Smilingly knowingly, he nodded once and glanced down at his book again, Ruby turned her attention back to Weiss and her heart swelled again. The room fell silent as the priest continued.

"We're gathered here today for a rather _surprising _union between two young women," he announced, ignoring the few death glares the Atlesians sent their way, "Ruby Rose and Weiss Schnee." The priest turned to Weiss with a kind smile, "Their decision to marry was not entered lightly and today they both declare their undying devotion to one another." He wasn't reading from the book, this was a practiced speech, judging by the confident sound of his voice. "This commitment is the acceptance of one another as a whole, as a companion, as a friend, and as a lover."

_'Partner, companion, friend, lover . .' _Ruby couldn't wipe the grin from her lips. _'__Wife. I like the sound of that.'_

The priest's voice broke her from her trance. "A good, balanced relationship is one where neither person is overpowered and absorbed by the other, allowing them both to give their love freely without jealousy. Marriage is a sharing of responsibilities, hopes, and dreams, it is not something to take lightly; it takes a special amount of effort to survive the hard times, grow together, and continue to be loving and unselfish." The priest closed the book and turned to Ruby.

_'I'm ready.'_

He spoke calmly and cooly, "Do you both pledge to share your lives openly with one another, and speak truthfully in love? Do you promise to honor and tenderly care for one another, to cherish and encourage one another? Do you vow to stand for each other through life's sorrows and joys, through hardships and triumphs for the rest of your lives?"

Ruby looked to Weiss, who instantly met her gaze with brief uncertainty. _'I love you.'_ The brunette smiled, giving her hands a gentle squeeze, _'I promised you, we'll never make your parents' mistakes. We're in this together.'_ Weiss, seemingly knowing the woman's silent message to her, returned the loving smile, all trace of doubt gone from her eyes. _'I'm here. . .'_

"We do." The two of them said in unison, never breaking their gaze.

The priest nodded, "Do you pledge to share the love and the joys of your marriage with those who surround you, so that they may learn from your love and be encouraged to grow in their own lives?"

"We do."

He gestured for Mavi to approach with the pillow. "These rings are a symbol of your union. As often you look upon these rings, may you not only be reminded of this moment, but also of the vows that you two have made to one another." He turned to Ruby, examining her before continuing, "Repeat after me: I, Ruby, promise to love and support you, Weiss, through the good times and the bad, to care for you through sickness and health, and to cherish until death do we part."

Ruby spoke the words out loud confidently, her gaze never leaving Weiss' blue pair. With each word, a spark of electricity ran through her body, her heart beat sped up as she finished speaking. Ruby unlatched her hands from Weiss' to take her own ring, presenting the rose-shaped diamond to the woman before slipping it onto her finger. Satisfied, the man turned to Weiss and asked her to repeat the same words, Weiss broke their gaze for a split moment to look at the priest before locking eyes with Ruby again.

Completing her own vow, Weiss hid the shadow of a smirk and did the same, reaching for her snowflake-crested engagement ring and sliding it onto Ruby's finger.

The priest smiled and stepped away, "I now pronounce you married! You may kiss the bride."

* * *

_**Extra:**_

"Long day, again?"

"Well of course."

Ruby slid her arms around the woman's waist, gently pulling her to rest against her chest and kissing Weiss' collarbone. Four hours ago, they'd finalized their marriage and spent two hours with their friends for the after-party. They'd just returned home and had instantly changed into their night clothes, but instead of going straight to bed, they'd opted to cuddling on the couch.

"Tired?" Ruby asked quietly as Weiss relaxed against her, closing her eyes and humming her response. Seizing the opportunity to play around, Ruby smirked. "Want me to take you to bed?" She purred, sliding her hands under the woman's nightgown, "Though, I won't promise you that you'll get any rest. . . Say, isn't that where we're supposed to be anyway, my love?"

"Ruby Rose." Weiss replied in a scolding manner, opening her eyes and reaching up to poke Ruby's forehead, "I. Can. Not. Have. Sex." Weiss frowned, "Doctor's orders."

The brunette chuckled, "I know," she whispered, "I'm just teasing, Princess." Ruby paused for a moment and furrowed her brows, "Hey, remember what we were talking about last night? About the 'wedding jitters' thing?"

"Yep."

Ruby glanced to the door, "During the whole after-party, I felt like somebody was watching me. . . Just waiting for the right moment to strike. I almost grabbed Crescent Rose. . ." Weiss looked up at her, "Please tell me I'm crazy because I feel like it followed it us. . ."

"You're not crazy," Weiss answered almost inaudibly, "I feel it too. Like someone's lurking around in the shadows, watching us, waiting. Though, it might just be paranoia. There's nothing out there, but I think we should keep our guard up for the time being, just in case."

Ruby nodded, "Good idea. . ."

"Hey, Ruby?" The woman glanced down at her wife, who reached up and booped her nose playfully, "Happy birthday, my love."

"Birthday-?" Ruby trailed off, realization dawning on her, "It's my birthday!"

Weiss laughed, "Well, yeah! Unless my memory has begun to fail me, it is October 31st, right?"

Ruby grinned again and squeezed the smaller woman gently, embracing her more tightly. "I can't believe it," she giggled quietly, "I forgot about my own birthday, and got a wife as a present. Best birthday ever."

"You don't sound too enthusiastic, Petal." Weiss raised a brow, amusement still glinting in her eyes, "There's something else you want, isn't there?" Ruby whined as a response and the woman scoffed, "Alright, fine, let me go and we can bake a cake."

"And try not to get it in other places?" Ruby smirked.

"Ruby Rose!"

* * *

**HAPPY BIRTHDAY, RUBY ROSE!**

**Okay, now:**  
**This was actually my very first Whiterose fanfic, and believe it or not, it was supposed to be a short oneshot. Then only 5 chapters, then 10 chapters, and now here we are at 16! I've had very many ideas for this fic while writing it, and because of this, I've decided to make both a prequel and sequel. Wow, the order of this story is gonna be VERY wonky. . . Anyway, keep an eye out for one of those! I also have another upcoming fanfic, completely different from Ice Flower and the My Princess trilogy. It should be released around December or January, unless it's delayed.**

**Thanks to all of you for reading and staying with this story until the end! If any of you are confused and have questions about something that happened in the fic, feel free to ask and I'll answer to the best of my ability. As for the baby's name? I have chosen one and it will be revealed in chapter one of the sequel!**


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